Marie Ménard apples with high polyphenol content and a low‐fat diet reduce 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine‐induced colon carcinogenesis in rats: Effects on inflammation and apoptosis

Inflammation may increase cancer risk, therefore, we studied whether polyphenol‐rich Marie Ménard (MM) apples with reported anti‐inflammatory activity prevent 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine (DMH)‐induced colon carcinogenesis in rats and, likewise whether high‐fat (HF) diet promoting carcinogenesis, may affect inflammation. DMH‐induced rats were fed for 15 weeks with: an HF diet (23% corn oil w/w); an HF diet containing 7.6% w/w lyophilized MM (apple diet (AD)); a low‐fat (LF) diet and an HF diet containing piroxicam (PXC) (0.01% w/w) as control. Mucin depleted foci (MDF), precancerous lesions in the colon, were dramatically reduced in the AD, LF, and PXC groups compared with the HF. Peritoneal macrophage activation, an index of systemic inflammation, was significantly decreased in the AD, LF, and PXC groups. TNF‐α, iNOS, IL‐1β, IL‐6 m‐RNA expression in the colon, as well as CD68 cells and plasmatic PGE2 were lower in the AD, but not in the LF group. Apoptosis in the MDF of both the AD and LF‐fed rats was significantly higher than in HF rats. In conclusion, AD has a strong chemopreventive effect, reducing inflammation, and increasing apoptosis, while the chemopreventive effect of the LF diet seems mediated mainly by increased apoptosis in MDF.     

Regulatory Noncoding and Predicted Pathogenic Coding Variants of CCR5 Predispose to Severe COVID-19

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) found locus 3p21.31 associated with severe COVID-19. CCR5 resides at the same locus and, given its known biological role in other infection diseases, we investigated if common noncoding and rare coding variants, affecting CCR5, can predispose to severe COVID-19. We combined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that met the suggestive significance level (P ≤ 1 × 10⁻⁵) at the 3p21.31 locus in public GWAS datasets (6406 COVID-19 hospitalized patients and 902,088 controls) with gene expression data from 208 lung tissues, Hi-C, and Chip-seq data. Through whole exome sequencing (WES), we explored rare coding variants in 147 severe COVID-19 patients. We identified three SNPs (rs9845542, rs12639314, and rs35951367) associated with severe COVID-19 whose risk alleles correlated with low CCR5 expression in lung tissues. The rs35951367 resided in a CTFC binding site that interacts with CCR5 gene in lung tissues and was confirmed to be associated with severe COVID-19 in two independent datasets. We also identified a rare coding variant (rs34418657) associated with the risk of developing severe COVID-19. Our results suggest a biological role of CCR5 in the progression of COVID-19 as common and rare genetic variants can increase the risk of developing severe COVID-19 by affecting the functions of CCR5.     

Pulse-Tube Dilution Refrigeration below 10 mK for Astrophysics

Astroparticle bolometric detectors often rely on the use of dilution refrigerators providing a large cooling power at millikelvin temperatures. Conventional machines, however, need a systematic supply of cryogenic fluids, complicating and making more expensive their operation, particularly in underground laboratories. We describe here novel cryogen-free dilution units, able to cool down large detectors to millikelvin temperatures, and where cooling and warming times have been optimised.      

Assessment of bioenergy potential in Sicily: A GIS-based support methodology

A Geographical Information System (GIS) supported methodology has been developed in order to assess the technical and economic potential of biomass exploitation for energy production in Sicily. The methodology was based on the use of agricultural, economic, climatic, and infrastructural data in a GIS. Data about land use, transportation facilities, urban cartography, regional territorial planning, terrain digital model, lithology, climatic types, and civil and industrial users have been stored in the GIS to define potential areas for gathering the residues coming from the pruning of olive groves, vineyards, and other agricultural crops, and to assess biomass available for energy cultivation. Further, it was possible to assess the potential of biodiesel production, supposing the cultivation of rapeseed in arable crop areas. For the biomass used for direct combustion purposes, the economic availability has been assessed assuming a price of the biomass and comparing it with other fuels. This assessment has shown the strong competitiveness of firewood in comparison with traditional fossil fuels when the collection system is implemented in an efficient way. Moreover, the economic potential of biodiesel was assessed considering the on-going financial regime for fuel. At the same time, the study has shown a significant competitiveness of the finished biomass (pellets), and good potential for a long-term development of this market. An important result was the determination of biofuel production potential in Sicily. An outcome of the study was to show the opportunities stemming from the harmonisation of Energy Policy with the Waste Management System and Rural Development Plan.     

Assessing regulatory emotional self-efficacy in three countries.

The Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy (RESE) scale was developed to assess perceived self-efficacy in managing negative (NEG) and in expressing positive (POS) affect (G. V. Caprara & M. Gerbino, 2001). In this study of young adults, the factorial structure of the RESE scale was found to be similar in Italy, the United States, and Bolivia. In addition to a factor for POS, NEG was represented by a second-order factor of 2 different negative affects: despondency-distress (DES) and anger-irritation (ANG). Overall, there was partial invariance at both metric and scalar levels across gender and countries. Discriminant and convergent validity of the RESE scale was further examined in the Italian sample. Stronger patterns of association of POS with prosocial behavior, of ANG with low aggressive behavior problems and irritability, and of DES with low anxiety/depressive problems and shyness and high self-esteem were found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In situ spectroelectrochemical measurements during the electro-oxidation of ethanol on WC-supported Pt-black. Part II: Monitoring of catalyst aging by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

As a continuation of a project on the spectroelectrochemical analysis of long-term behaviour of WC-supported Pt electrocatalysts (for SFG results, see part I: [1]), in this paper we report in situ FT-IR spectroscopy experiments, carried out during prolonged electro-oxidation of ethanol on Pt-black. From the analytical point of view, as expected, FT-IR spectra showed the presence of adsorbed acetic acid and ethanol, in addition to the well-known, dominant species: linearly adsorbed CO (2044-2063 cm⁻¹) and solution-phase CO₂ (2345 cm⁻¹). As far as quantitative spectroscopic results are concerned, a notable sensitivity of the interfacial chemistry to catalyst aging could be highlighted by this approach. The spectra recorded in three subsequent series of potential-cycling experiments showed a clear-cut dependence of spectral patterns and peak intensities, on the applied potential and on the oxidation duration. Qualitative spectral changes seem to suggest - coherently with in situ SFG results obtained with the same system [1] - that electrocatalyst aging correlates with a higher surface coverage with ethanol as compared with acetic acid. Quantitative analysis, based on fitting with Lorentzian lineshapes, yields information that can be used as a molecular-level diagnostic of the modification of the catalyst-adsorbate structure.     

Synthesis of Yb nanoparticles by laser ablation of ytterbium target in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate reverse micellar solution

Surfactant-coated ytterbium nanoparticles were produced by Nd:YAG laser ablation of a Yb bulk target immersed in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)/n-heptane micellar solution. In our experimental conditions, as highlighted by IR spectroscopy, AOT molecules are not decomposed by the intense laser pulses but play a pivotal role in the stabilisation of Yb nanoparticles. The formation of Yb nanoparticles in the liquid phase was monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy whereas the Yb/AOT composites obtained by evaporation of the organic solvent were characterised by XPS and TEM. Data analysis consistently shows the presence of surfactant-coated, nearly spherical and non-interacting Yb nanoparticles of mean diameter of 3 nm.Moreover, the presence of bigger polycrystalline nanoparticles (about 30%) in coexistence with smaller mono crystalline ones indicates that, after the rapid formation of the pristine Yb nanoparticles from plume condensation, two processes effectively compete for their size distribution: nanoparticle agglomeration and surfactant adsorption.     

Dielectric properties of two phases of crystalline lutetium oxide

High-dielectric constant oxides are the focus of intense current research. As a contribution to the rationalization of the search for candidate materials, we compare the dielectric properties obtained from first-principles linear-response calculations for two phases—the ground state bixbyite and the competing hexagonal structures—of the crystalline oxide Lu₂O₃. The dielectric constants of bixbyite is about 12 and that of hexagonal is about 19 (the electronic constant being about 4.5 in both cases). This difference is due almost exclusively to the vibrational properties, with minor or no influence of charge anomaly differences; as these are related mainly to oxygen vibrations, we argue that the dielectric properties of sesquioxides will be determined mostly by their preferred structure, i.e. they will be poorer for bixbyite (e.g. Y₂O₃) than for hexagonal (e.g. La₂O₃) sesquioxides.     

Feasibility of horizon-switching predictive control under positional and incremental input saturations

This paper proves the validity of a basic feasibility property which makes it possible to extend, to the case of set-point tracking in ANCBI systems under joint positional and incremental input saturations, the approach in [Mosca, E. (2005). Predictive switching supervisory control of persistently disturbed input-saturated plants. Automatica, 41, 55-67] restricted to positional input saturation and the pure regulation problem. An example on the use of the proposed technique is considered.