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Abstract The dynamic behavior of biological materials is central to their functionality, suggesting that interfacial dynamics could also mediate the activity of chemical events at the surfaces of synthetic materials. Here, we investigate the influence of surface flexibility and hydration on heavy metal remediation by nanostructures self-assembled from small molecules that are decorated with surface-bound chelators in water. We find that incorporating short oligo(ethylene glycol) spacers between the surface and interior domain of self-assembled nanostructures can drastically increase the conformational mobility of surface-bound lead-chelating moieties and promote interaction with surrounding water. In turn, we find the binding affinities of chelators tethered to the most flexible surfaces are more than ten times greater than the least flexible surfaces. Accordingly, nanostructures composed of amphiphiles that give rise to the most dynamic surfaces are capable of remediating thousands of liters of 50 ppb Pb2+-contaminated water with single grams of material. These findings establish interfacial dynamics as a critical design parameter for functional self-assembled nanostructures.

Background/objectiveEmotional dysregulation is bidirectionally associated with sleep disturbances, with potentially critical implications for emotional reactivity, in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study evaluated subjective and objective sleep quality, emotional regulation, and emotional reactivity in 20 patients with BPD compared to 20 non-clinical individuals.MethodsSubjective and objective sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and a 3-day actigraphic measurement. Emotional regulation was evaluated using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and the Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire. Furthermore, each participant underwent an emotional reactivity task selected from the International Affective Picture System.ResultsCompared to control subjects, individuals with BPD reported poor subjective sleep quality and objective sleep continuity disturbances, with more sleep fragmentation and decreased sleep efficiency. Moreover, BPD patients showed emotional dysregulation and altered subjective reactivity to emotional stimuli, particularly positively valenced stimuli.ConclusionThese results suggest the importance of further clarifying the specific direction of sleep-dependent emotional modulation in individuals with BPD, with significant clinical implications for patients with co-occurring sleep disturbances.

Abstract Quasicrystals, solids with rotational symmetries forbidden for crystals, are usually synthesized in the laboratory by mixing specific ratios of selected elemental components in the liquid and quenching under strictly controlled protocols. Nevertheless, the discovery of Al-Cu-Fe natural quasicrystals in the Khatyrka meteorite showed that these exotic phases could also form in high-velocity impact-induced shock events introducing an endeavour to search them in cosmic material. Here we report the discovery of an extraterrestrial icosahedral quasicrystal with an unusual composition Al51.7(6)Cu30.8(9)Fe10.3(4)Si7.2(9), ideally Al52Cu31Fe10Si7, found in a scoriaceous micrometeorite, named FB-A1, recovered at the top of Mt. Gariglione (Italy). The chemistry of the icosahedral phase was characterized by electron microprobe, and the rotational symmetry was confirmed by means of electron backscatter diffraction. The FB-A1 micrometeorite represents the third independent discovery of naturally occurring intermetallic Al-Cu-Fe-(Si) alloys in extraterrestrial bodies and the second case of extraterrestrial material containing a natural quasicrystal, after Khatyrka meteorite.

Forest areas and mountainous territories provide crucial ecosystem services, among which cultural-recreational services are of particular relevance in the Alps. In 2018, the mountain area of Northeast Italy was struck by the VAIA windstorm, resulting in extensive damage to trail networks and substantial landscape transformations in valleys. Restoring the storm-affected area while considering forest resilience and public preferences became a critical need. This research is aimed at assessing the landscape scenic preferences of visitors and residents of the area impacted by the storm with reference to alternative intervention strategies for restoring the VAIA-affected forests. The psychophysical approach was applied to understand residents preferences and a survey was conducted in May 2022, involving 713 residents in the Veneto region. Respondents were requested to evaluate the scenic quality of 8 landscape typologies characterized by panoramic and non-panoramic views, forests with and without fallen trees, and meadows cultivated or abandoned. They were also required to associate eight proposed categories of emotions with the landscapes, providing scores accordingly. To analyze the factors affecting landscape scenic quality we estimated two regression models. The first model highlighted that the scenic quality of the landscape is positively correlated with panoramic views, cultivated meadows, and forests, while abandoned areas or trees felled by VAIA have negative correlations. The second model demonstrated the existence of a strong relationship between landscape quality and the emotions evoked, with certain emotions significantly impacting scenic quality perception. The second model explains a higher proportion of the scenic quality scores than the first one (R2 = 0.788 vs R2 = 0.527) meaning that emotions are a better predictor of scenic quality than the physical characteristics of the territory. Our results suggest that, in order to improve the recreational services of the mountain territories, for restoring the VAIA-affected forests it will be necessary to remove the felled trees and at the same time increase the presence of panoramic views by substituting in some areas the forests with cultivated meadows.

Using spatial regression models, we detect determinants of farmland’s prices in a rural area located in the upper Treviso plain (Veneto region, Italy). Econometric analysis is based on a Spatial linear regression model able to account for spatial lags in the data. Estimates show which intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics have the greatest influence on price, and how buyers and sellers’ profiles also matter on the price determination. Our application fosters spatial regression models in rural real estate market analysis and appraisal, and highlights that in the area under study the farmland’s prices are significantly affected by factors that are rarely considered in the literature, such as sellers and buyers’ profiles, the land use in the context where the sold plot is located matters, the hydraulic risk of the area and the presence of large infrastructures.

This peer commentary investigates how individuals assign blame to non-native supervisors after an accident where an employee suffers a workplace accident in a multilingual organization. Extending research presented in the focal article by Obenauer and Kalsher's (2023), the authors propose that supervisors with non-native accents are likely to be blamed after an accident they tried to prevent due to stereotypes and increased cognitive effort in processing accented speech. The authors discuss scenarios where, even when supervisors effectively conduct a verbal safety briefing warning employees about possible dangers, they are not excepted from blame. Additionally, the authors suggest that biases against non-native supervisors may extend to native speakers with strong regional or foreign sounding accents. Moving forward, this commentary encourages more nuanced theorizing around non-native accents and more research differentiating between various Latin/Hispanic accents.

Lorenzo Viselli,1,* Fabiana Festucci,1,* Maria Chiara Pino,1 Aurora D’Atri,1 Federico Salfi,1 Giulia Amicucci,1,2 Domenico Corigliano,1,2 Federica Naccarato,1 Michele Ferrara,1 Daniela Tempesta1 1Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy; 2Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Michele Ferrara, Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy, Email michele.ferrara@univaq.itPurpose: The present study aimed to validate the Italian version of the Iowa Resistance to Sleeplessness Test (iREST), a 16-item self-report assessing resilience to sleep debt in the affective, cognitive, and somatic domains.Participants and Methods: We examined its factor structure, assessed internal consistency and criterion validity, and established test-retest reliability on 768 Italian native speakers (65.8% of women) with a mean age of 25.98 years old.Results: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed a new 13-item structure for the Italian iREST (iREST-13), demonstrating more satisfactory goodness-of-fit values, and exhibiting good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α ranging from 0.73 to 0.89), relative to the 16-item original version. Results supported the iREST convergent validity, showing significant independence from established measures of sleep; low correlations with conceptually unrelated measures supported divergent validity, indicating that the iREST effectively measures resistance to sleeplessness without confounding with other constructs. Lastly, test-retest reliability was evaluated by administering the iREST to the same sample with a 2-week interval: the significant correlations supported its temporal stability.Conclusion: Further studies are needed to evaluate the applicability of the iREST in diverse populations and explore its relationship with objective sleep measures. Nevertheless, the Italian iREST provides a valuable tool for assessing resistance to sleep loss, offering insights into individual differences in resilience. Additionally, the iREST can assist in identifying individuals who require interventions to enhance resilience to sleep debt, as well as help clinicians evaluate the impact of chronic sleep disruption and deliver targeted interventions.Keywords: sleeplessness, resilience, sleep loss, vulnerability, individual differences, Italian validation

Goat may represent a valid large animal model for human pathogens and new vaccines testing. Appropriate vaccine administration is a critical component of a successful immunization program. The wrong route of administration may reduce the efficacy of the vaccine, whereas the proper administration strategy can enhance it. Viral vectors have been employed successfully for goat and sheep immunization; however, no data concerning the vaginal route are available. A viral vector’s ability to transduce the site of inoculation is of primary interest. In this study, a fast and reliable ex vivo assay for testing the transduction capability of an Ad5-based vector when intravaginally administered was developed. An Ad5 vector delivering an expression cassette with a bicistronic reporter gene, Ad5-CMV-turboGFP-IRES-Luc2, was constructed. We demonstrated Ad5-CMV-turboGFP-IRES-Luc2’s ability to transduce caprine vaginal mucosa by ex vivo bioluminescent imaging (BLI) employing a simple CCD camera apparatus for chemiluminescence western immunoblotting. These data, though simple, provide valuable insights into developing a vaginal immunization strategy using a viral vector-based vaccine to protect against pathogens causing genital diseases.

We propose a novel discretization procedure for the classical Euler equation, based on the theory of Galois differential algebras and the finite operator calculus developed by G.C. Rota and collaborators. This procedure allows us to define algorithmically a new discrete model which inherits from the continuous Euler equation a class of exact solutions.

Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) is distributed globally and mainly causes different clinical manifestations: enteric diarrhea in calves, winter dysentery in adults, and respiratory symptoms in cattle of all ages. Low mortality and high morbidity are the hallmarks of BCoV infection, usually associated with substantial economic losses for the livestock industry. Vaccination, combined with the implementation of biosecurity measures, is the key strategy for the prevention of infections. This pilot study evaluates the immunogenicity of a recombinant vaccine containing two BCoV antigens (S and M) in sheep, compared to vaccines containing only the M or S protein. Three groups of sheep were inoculated intramuscularly at day 0 and day 21 with recombinant adenoviruses expressing BCoV S protein (AdV-BCoV-S), BCoV M protein (AdV-BCoV-M), or both proteins (AdV-BCoV-S + M). Serum antibodies were evaluated using immunofluorescence (IF) and serum neutralization (SN) tests. Moderate seroconversion was observed by day 21, but serum antibodies detected via SN increased from 1:27.5 (day 21) to 1:90 (day 28) in sheep inoculated with the recombinant AdV expressing both the S- and M-BCoV proteins. Based on the SN results, a repeated-measures ANOVA test indicated a more significant difference in immune response between the three groups (F = 20.47; p < 0.001). The experimental investigation produced satisfactory results, highlighting that the S + M recombinant vaccine was immunogenic, stimulating a valid immune response. Despite some inherent limitations, including a small sample size and the absence of challenge tests, the study demonstrated the efficacy of the immune response induced via the recombinant vaccine containing both S and M proteins compared to that induced via the individual proteins S or M.

Devotional artworks represent a valuable form of art, as they are evidence of religious worship and the demo-ethno-anthropological, as well as historical-artistic, heritage of a community, which is why they definitely belong to the cultural identity of a geographic area. The Madonna della Croce wall painting is an example of devotional art preserved today in the homonymous church in Triggiano (Bari, Italy). The presented study concerns the characterization of pigments used in the painting. The identification of pictorial materials had the aim of providing a contribution to knowledge about the painting, the history of restorations, and other historical events, and to increase the information about the Apulian painting to better reconstruct the social, cultural, and economic contexts of the region. Through a non-invasive and fast methodological approach, including portable digital microscopy, colorimetry, fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF); 42 points considered on coloured areas were analysed in situ, and results on pigment identification were achieved. According to the local wall painting tradition, red and yellow ochres, green earth, vine black, massicot, and lead-tin yellow were found. Furthermore, both indigo-woad dye and a mixture of vine black and yellow ochre to obtain a blueish colour on the Virgin’s mantle were highlighted.

O diálogo entre ciências sociais e ciências da saúde vem produzindo reflexões interessantes a respeito das experiências reprodutivas em diferentes contextos sociais. Várias pesquisadoras demonstraram que essas experiências são influenciadas por matrizes de opressão historicamente constituídas e têm conexão direta com as taxas nacionais de morbidade e mortalidade materna e infantil, as quais evidenciam a perpetuação de hierarquias reprodutivas racializadas, resultantes do processo colonial. Neste artigo, propomo-nos a realizar uma revisão bibliográfica sobre aportes das ciências sociais e dos estudos interseccionais e decoloniais que podem contribuir para aprofundar o debate crítico sobre a apropriação biomédica do ciclo reprodutivo das mulheres, focalizando as duas cirurgias ginecológicas mais realizadas no Brasil, a saber, a cesariana e a histerectomia (remoção do útero), bem como a problemática da violência obstétrica. A presente reflexão se desenrola no horizonte político-epistemológico da justiça reprodutiva, fundamenta-se no conceito de racismo estrutural e aposta na educação perinatal crítica como via estratégica para a superação das iniquidades no campo da reprodução.

This paper proposed a multianalytical, non-invasive, accessible and expensive (compared to traditional ones) approach for the characterization of pictorial surfaces. A set of 18 pigments and 37 mixtures widely used in the Middle Ages in the Apulia (Italy) artistic and archaeological contexts was considered, and corresponding replicas were produced. Pigments were first characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), then replicas were studied by optical microscopy using a portable instrument, colorimetry and fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS). The investigation provided encouraging results, which allowed the creation of a library including diagnostic microscopic, colorimetric and reflectance markers of each pigment and the identification of the mixtures’ components.

Entropy can signify different things. For instance, heat transfer in thermodynamics or a measure of information in data analysis. Many entropies have been introduced, and it can be difficult to ascertain their respective importance and merits. Here, we consider entropy in an abstract sense, as a functional on a probability space, and we review how being able to handle the trivial case of non-interacting systems, together with the subtle requirement of extensivity, allows for a systematic classification of the functional form.

Background: West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging mosquito-borne neurotropic virus, belonging to the Flaviviridae family and the Orthoflavivirus genus. The effective control of WNV requires a targeted preventive strategy that also needs the identification of the higher-risk populations. Hence, this study focused on a systematic literature review of WNV-acquired infection in work-related settings and the assessment of the exposure risks among different occupational categories. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted to identify studies until September 2023 in multiple databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS and Web of Science, according to the PRISMA 2020 statement. Risk of bias of collected papers was assessed by the ROB tool of the National Toxicology Program’s Office of Health Assessment and Translation handbook. Results: A total of 21 studies were included in the systematic review, out of which seventeen were observational studies and four were case reports. Workers identified as at higher risk for WNV infection were military workers, veterinarians, agricultural workers, farmers, and laboratory workers with contact with infected fluids or aerosols. Conclusions: The identification of higher-risk workers could facilitate active surveillance by occupational physicians, which could improve our understanding of the epidemiology of WNV and, in addition, could help tailor appropriate preventive recommendations, reducing the overall burden of disease in high-risk areas.

Key Clinical Message The perioperative control of ammonia, reduction of stress, and administration of drugs tolerated in type 1 citrullinemia and Brugada pattern allowed the successful and uneventful management of general anesthesia in the study patient. Abstract The aim of this study was to report the targeted perioperative management of general anesthesia (GA) adopted for dental extractions in a rare patient with type 1 citrullinemia and Brugada pattern. A male, Caucasian, adult type 1 citrullinemia patient needed dental extractions under GA. The medical history showed neurodevelopmental impairment, growth retardation, epilepsy, and a Type 2 Brugada electrocardiographic pattern in the second precordial lead. The authors focused the anesthesiologic protocol on the prevention of hyperammonemia and fatal arrhythmias. Changes in diet and 10% glucose solution administration prevented protein catabolism due to the fasting period (ammonia was 44 μmol/L preoperatively and 46 μmol/L postoperatively; glycemia was 120 g/dL preoperatively and 153 g/dL postoperatively). The patient received a continuous electrocardiogram, noninvasive blood pressure, pulse oximeter, entropy monitoring, train‐of‐four monitoring, and external biphasic defibrillator pads. Midazolam, remifentanil, and dexamethasone were administered for pre‐anesthesia; thiopental and rocuronium for induction; remifentanil and desflurane for maintenance; sugammadex for decurarization. After the intraligamentary injection of lidocaine 2% with epinephrine 1:100,000 for local anesthesia, the patient developed a transient Type 1 Brugada pattern that lasted a few minutes. The whole procedure lasted 30 min. The patient's discharge to ward occurred 3 h after the end of GA. The perioperative management of ammonia, reduction of stress, and administration of drugs tolerated in Type 1 citrullinemia and Brugada pattern allowed the successful and uneventful administration of GA in the study patient.

Abstract Implementing effective antimicrobial therapy close to the onset of infection lowers morbidity and mortality and attenuates the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Current antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) methods, however, require several days to determine optimal therapies. We present technology and an automated platform that identify (ID) Urinary Tract Infection pathogens in 45 min and provide phenotypic AST results in less than 5 h from urine specimens without colony isolation. The ID and AST tests count cells fluorescently labeled with specific rRNA probes using non-magnified digital imaging. The ID test detected five pathogens at ≤ 7,000 CFU/mL and had a linear range of ~ 4 orders of magnitude. For contrived specimens, AST tests gave 93.1% categorical agreement with 1.3% Very Major Errors (VME), 0.3% Major Errors (ME), and 6.3% minor Errors (mE) compared to the broth microdilution (BMD) reference method. For clinical specimens, the ID test had 98.6% agreement and the AST test had 92.3% categorical agreement with 4.2% mE, 3.4% ME and 4.0% VME compared to BMD. Data presented demonstrates that direct-from-specimen AST tests can accurately determine antimicrobial susceptibility/resistance for each pathogen in a specimen containing two pathogens. The method is robust to urine matrix effects and off-target commensal and contaminating bacteria.

Abstract Background The study aims to describe the lingual laser frenotomy perioperative protocol for newborns with ankyloglossia with or without breastfeeding difficulties developed by Odontostomatology and Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Units of the Aldo Moro University of Bari. Methods Authors carried out a prospective observational cohort study. Newborns with ankyloglossia (classified by using both Coryllos’ and Hazelbaker’s criteria) with or without difficult breastfeeding (according to Infant Breastfeeding Assessment Tool) underwent diode laser frenotomy (800 ± 10 nm; 5 W; continuous wave mode; contact technique; under topical anesthesia) and follow-up visits after seven and thirty days postoperatively. The authors analyzed as main outcomes the perioperative pain intensity measured by the C.R.I.E.S. scale, the occurrence of complications and quality of healing, the quality of breastfeeding, newborn’s postoperative weight gain, maternal nipple pain, and the presence of lesions as secondary outcomes. Results Fifty-six newborns were included in the current study. Intraoperative mean pain intensity was 5.7 ± 0.5 points, resolved within thirty postoperative minutes. Observed complications were mild punctuating bleeding, carbonization of the irradiated site, and transitory restlessness. All wounds were completely healed within the thirtieth postoperative day. During follow-up, a significant breastfeeding improvement was evident with satisfactory newborns’ weight gain and a significant reduction of nipple pain and lesions (p

Abstract Background It is well known that the course of migraine is influenced by comorbidities and that individual psychological characteristics may impact on the disease. Proper identification of psychological factors that are relevant to migraine is important to improve non-pharmacological management. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between psychological factors and migraine in subjects free of psychiatric comorbidities. Methods A sample of women with episodic (EM) and chronic migraine (CM) without history of psychiatric comorbidities were included in this cross-sectional study. The study also included female healthy controls (HC) without migraine or other primary headaches. We evaluated sleep, anxiety, depression, intolerance of uncertainty, decision making style and tendence to pain catastrophizing by validated self-report questionnaires or scales. Comparisons among groups were performed using ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests. Statistical significance was set at p

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to compare the histopathological features of syndromic and non-syndromic odontogenic keratocysts (OKs) using conventional and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) with their biological behaviour. (2) Methods: Data from the medical records of 113 patients with histological diagnosis of (single and/or multiple) OKs were collected. Globally, 213 OKs (120 syndromic and 93 sporadic) were retrieved, and their histological slides were re-evaluated with conventional H&E staining and with autofluorescence on the same slides using CLSM (Nikon Eclipse E600 microscope). (3) Results: Syndromic OKs showed more satellite cysts than sporadic cases, as well as a basophilic layer in the basement membrane, which was absent in sporadic OKs; both were highlighted with CLSM. The basement membrane in syndromic OKs appeared amorphous and fragile, thus possibly being responsible for the epithelial detachment and collapse, with scalloped features. Furthermore, the basal epithelial layers in such cases also showed increased cellularity and proliferative activity. All these histological features may possibly justify their higher tendency to recur. (4) Conclusions: CLSM is useful advanced technology that could help to quickly and easily discriminate between syndromic and non-syndromic OKs and to more accurately predict their biological behaviour in order to set fitter clinico-radiological follow-ups for individual patients.

Background: The increase in average life expectancy necessitates the identification of possible mechanisms capable of promoting “active aging” to ensure adequate levels of global functioning. Numerous studies show that regular physical activity promotes, even in the elderly, a state of functional psychophysical well-being capable of slowing down age-related cognitive decline. This study aimed to clarify whether, and how, the intensity of physical activity can modulate cognitive and executive skills by influencing specific psychological variables. Methods: Our sample consisted of 151 senior subjects divided into hikers (HIK), gentle gymnastics (GYM), and sedentary (SED), who practice intense, moderate, and reduced physical activity, respectively. A battery of psychological questionnaires was administrated to evaluate attentional skills, decision-making, the ability to implement targeted behaviors, perceived self-efficacy, and psychophysical well-being. We included: the Mini-Mental State Examination, Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Letter Cancellation Test, Everyday Competence Questionnaire, and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: Comparisons between the scores reported by the three groups showed that the HIK group differs from the others with respect to most of the measurements, presenting better mood and cognitive performance, and a specific psychological profile. On the contrary, the GYM group appeared to have a greater affinity with the SED group than with the HIK group, both cognitively and psychologically. Conclusions: Types of physical activity, as well as the intensity and frequency with which they are practiced, are factors that promote an active aging process, protecting the psychophysical well-being and overall cognitive functioning of the elderly.