Polyharmonic hypersurfaces into pseudo-Riemannian space forms.

In this paper, we shall assume that the ambient manifold is a pseudo-Riemannian space form of dimension and index ( and ). We shall study hypersurfaces which are polyharmonic of order (briefly, -harmonic), where and either or . Let denote the shape operator of .

GHz-THz Dielectric Properties of Flexible Matrix-Embedded BTO Nanoparticles.

BaTiO (BTO) nanoparticles produced by wet chemistry methods were embedded in several types of flexible materials in order to fabricate flexible electronic devices. Starting from the produced nanoparticle dielectric properties, flexible material dielectric properties were tested for high electromagnetic frequencies (30 GHz-2 THz) using time domain spectroscopy. Dielectric performances of the different materials obtained with variable nanoparticle concentrations up to 40 wt.

Influence of Ferroelectric Filler Size and Clustering on the Electrical Properties of (Ag-BaTiO)-PVDF Sub-Percolative Hybrid Composites.

The paper presents a study concerning the role of ferroelectric filler size and clustering in the dielectric properties of 20%BaTiO-80%PVDF and of 20% (2%Ag-98%BaTiO)-PVDF hybrid nanocomposites. By finite element calculations, it was shown that using fillers with ε > 10 does not provide a permittivity rise in the composites and the effective dielectric constant tends to saturate to specific values determined by the filler size and agglomeration degree. Irrespective of the ferroelectric filler sizes, the addition of metallic ultrafine nanoparticles (Ag) results in permittivity intensification and the effect is even stronger if the metallic nanoparticles are connected to a higher degree with the ferroelectric particles' surfaces.

Optimization of Processing Steps for Superior Functional Properties of (Ba, Ca)(Zr, Ti)O Ceramics.

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with nominal composition at morphotropic phase boundary BaCaTiZrO (BCTZ) prepared by different processing routes and sintered either by conventional solid-state reaction or by spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques were comparatively investigated to observe the role of structural modifications and of microstructures on the dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric and electrocaloric responses. The ceramics presented relative densities from 75% to 97% and showed variations in their phase composition as a result of variable mixing and different synthesis and sintering parameters providing local compositional heterogeneity. As result, all of the ceramics showed diffuse phase transition and ferroelectric switching responses, with parameters affected mostly by density ( between 3.

Role of Density and Grain Size on the Electrocaloric Effect in BaCaTiO Ceramics.

Pure perovskite Ba0.90Ca0.10TiO3 ceramics, with a relative density of between 79 and 98% and grain sizes larger than 1 µm, were prepared by solid-state reaction.

Cu and Zn Interactions with Peptides Revealed by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by abnormal extracellular amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide depositions in the brain. Among amorphous aggregates, altered metal homeostasis is considered a common risk factor for neurodegeneration known to accelerate plaque formation. Recently, peptide-based drugs capable of inhibiting amyloid aggregation have achieved unprecedented scientific and pharmaceutical interest.

Optimization of Arsenic Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Amidoxime Resin Hosted by Mesoporous Silica.

The paper reports on the performances of cross-linked amidoxime hosted into mesoporous silica (AMOX) in the removal of As(III) and As(V). The optimum pH for sorption of As(III) and As(V) was pH 8 and pH 5, respectively. The PFO kinetic model and the Sips isotherm fitted the best the experimental data.

A computational study of metal ions interaction with amyloid-β 1-42 peptide structure in hyperpyrexia: Implications for Alzheimer disease.

Given the current context of the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic, among the interfering risky factors with the Aβ peptide aggregation in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients can be hyperpyrexia and increased intracranial pressure (ICP). According to our hypothesis on the relationship between hyperpyrexia and cognitive decline in AD, two models of Aβ peptides were used in this study: the structure of AD amyloid beta-peptide and near-atomic resolution fibril structures of the Aβ peptide. Therefore, the binding templates were constructed for Aβ peptide regions able to bind 9 different metal ions.

New Polymeric Adsorbents Functionalized with Aminobenzoic Groups for the Removal of Residual Antibiotics.

In this paper, we present the synthesis of new polymeric adsorbents derived from macroporous chloromethylated styrene-divinylbenzene (DVB) copolymers with different cross-linking degrees functionalized with the following aminobenzoic groups: styrene-6.7% DVB (PAB1), styrene-10% DVB (PAB2), and styrene-15% DVB (PAB3). The new polymeric products, PAB1, PAB2, and PAB3, were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and EDX, SEM, and BET analysis, respectively.

Increasing Permittivity and Mechanical Harvesting Response of PVDF-Based Flexible Composites by Using Ag Nanoparticles onto BaTiO Nanofillers.

The role of Ag addition on the structural, dielectric, and mechanical harvesting response of 20%(Ag - (1 - )BaTiO) - 80%PVDF ( = 0, 2, 5, 7 and 27 vol.%) flexible composites is investigated. The inorganic fillers were realized by precipitating fine (~3 nm) silver nanoparticles onto BaTiO nanoparticles (~60 nm average size).

Psychometric Assessment of the Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale with Professional Romanian Athletes.

Background: Although athletes' experiences of autonomy, competence, and relatedness play in key role in their motivation, performance-related outcomes, and wellness, there is no evidence to date on measures of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the Romanian sport context. Building upon self-determination theory, the objective of this research was to adapt the Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale and analyze its psychometric properties in the Romanian sport context.

Methods: The participants were 642 professional athletes (354 males and 288 females; M = 22.

A 600 years sediment record of heavy metal pollution history in the Danube Delta.

Heavy metal pollution in the Danube Delta (in sediments, water and living organisms) has recently received increasing attention due to its impact on ecosystems health and water quality. However, long term records of heavy metal contamination are not available to date. In this study radiometric dating and geochemical analyses for major elements (Al, Fe, Ca and S) and metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr and Cd) were performed on the top 4 m of a 9-m sediment core retrieved from the alluvial plain of Sulina distributary channel aiming to reconstruct the heavy metal geological background and contamination history and discuss the possible origins (natural vs.

Classification of regular and chaotic motions in Hamiltonian systems with deep learning.

This paper demonstrates the capabilities of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) at classifying types of motion starting from time series, without any prior knowledge of the underlying dynamics. The paper applies different forms of deep learning to problems of increasing complexity with the goal of testing the ability of different deep learning architectures at predicting the character of the dynamics by simply observing a time-ordered set of data. We will demonstrate that a properly trained CNN can correctly classify the types of motion on a given data set.

A Proteomic Approach to Identify Zein Proteins upon Eco-Friendly Ultrasound-Based Extraction.

Zein is a type of prolamin storage protein that has a variety of biomedical and industrial applications. Due to the considerable genetic variability and polyploidity of the starting material, as well as the extraction methods used, the characterization of the protein composition of zein requires a combination of different analytical processes. Therefore, we combined modern analytical methods such as mass spectrometry (MS), Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), atomic force microscopy (AFM), or Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) for a better characterization of the extracted zein.

In Situ Functionalization of Iron Oxide Particles with Alginate: A Promising Biosorbent for Retention of Metal Ions.

In this study, alginate extracted from marine algae biomass was used for the functionalization of iron oxide particles obtained in situ. This procedure ensured a complete recovery of the alginate from the aqueous solution obtained after extraction and allowed the preparation of a new biosorbent. The obtained iron oxide microparticles functionalized with alginate (Alg-FeO-MPs) were analyzed (FTIR spectrometry, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy), and their biosorptive performance was tested for the removal of Cu(II), Co(II) and Zn(II) ions.

Analysis of Copper(II), Cobalt(II) and Iron(III) Sorption in Binary and Ternary Systems by Chitosan-Based Composite Sponges Obtained by Ice-Segregation Approach.

With the intensive industrial activity worldwide, water pollution by heavy metal ions (HMIs) has become a serious issue that requires strict and careful monitoring, as they are extremely toxic and can cause serious hazards to the environment and human health. Thus, the effective and efficient removal of HMIs still remains a challenge that needs to be solved. In this context, copper(II), cobalt(II) and iron(III) sorption by chitosan (CS)-based composite sponges was systematically investigated in binary and ternary systems.

Novel Polyimide/Copper-Nickel Ferrite Composites with Tunable Magnetic and Dielectric Properties.

Heat-resistant magnetic polymer composites were prepared by incorporating cerium-doped copper-nickel ferrite particles, having the general formula NiCuFeCeO (x: 0.0, 0.3, 0.

A small-molecule P2RX7 activator promotes anti-tumor immune responses and sensitizes lung tumor to immunotherapy.

Only a subpopulation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients responds to immunotherapies, highlighting the urgent need to develop therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcome. We develop a chemical positive modulator (HEI3090) of the purinergic P2RX7 receptor that potentiates αPD-1 treatment to effectively control the growth of lung tumors in transplantable and oncogene-induced mouse models and triggers long lasting antitumor immune responses. Mechanistically, the molecule stimulates dendritic P2RX7-expressing cells to generate IL-18 which leads to the production of IFN-γ by Natural Killer and CD4 T cells within tumors.

New 2,9-disubstituted-1,10-phenanthroline derivatives with anticancer activity by selective targeting of telomeric G-quadruplex DNA.

Fifteen new 1,10-phenanthrolines disubstituted at positions 2 and 9 via amide bonds with different heterocycles have been designed and synthesized as G-quadruplex DNA stabilizers. Ten compounds were evaluated for the in vitro anticancer activity against 60 human tumor cell lines panel, four of them showing a very good inhibitory activity on several cell lines. To assess the ability of the most active compounds to interact with G-quadruplex DNA (G4-DNA), circular dichroism experiments were performed.

Toward Interactions through Information in a Multifractal Paradigm.

In a multifractal paradigm of motion, Shannon's information functionality of a minimization principle induces multifractal-type Newtonian behaviors. The analysis of these behaviors through motion geodesics shows the fact that the center of the Newtonian-type multifractal force is different from the center of the multifractal trajectory. The measure of this difference is given by the eccentricity, which depends on the initial conditions.

Aluminium Binding to Modified Amyloid-β Peptides: Implications for Alzheimer's Disease.

Aluminium (Al) is clearly neurotoxic and considerable evidence exists that Al may play a role in the aetiology or pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nevertheless, the link between AD pathology and Al is still open to debate. Therefore, we investigated here the interaction of aluminium ions with two Aβ peptide fragments and their analogues.

Superadsorbents for Strontium and Cesium Removal Enriched in Amidoxime by a Homo-IPN Strategy Connected with Porous Silica Texture.

In light of the fact that two with good compatibility are better than one, the homo-interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) strategy was used in this work to design novel amidoxime (AOX)-interpenetrating networks into porous silica (PSi) with the final aim to enhance the sorption performances of composite sorbents toward Cs and Sr. To achieve this goal, first, a homo-IPN of poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) was constructed inside the channels of two kinds of porous silica, one mesoporous (PSi1) and one macroporous (PSi2), the textural properties of silica being exploited in controlling the sorption performances of the composites. The novel composites were fully characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the nitrogen sorption/desorption isotherms (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis).

Wheat and ryegrass biomass ashes as effective sorbents for metallic and organic pollutants from contaminated water in lab-engineered cartridge filtration system.

Three plant biomasses (miscanthus, ryegrass and wheat) have been considered for the preparation of five different sorbents evaluated for their potential to sorb cadmium and lead and four emergent organic compounds (diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, 17α-ethynylestradiol and triclosan) from artificially contaminated water. Lab-created cartridges were filled with each sorbent and all experiments were systematically compared to activated charcoal Norit®. Results from activated charcoal, wheat straw and acidified wheat straw were supported by the Langmuir and Freundlich models.

Equilibrium and Kinetics Studies of Metal Ions Biosorption on Alginate Extracted from Marine Red Algae Biomass ( sp.).

Biosorption is a viable alternative that can be used to remove heavy metal ions from aqueous effluents, as long as the biosorbent used is cost-effective and efficient. To highlight this aspect in this study, alginate extracted from marine red algae biomass ( sp.) was used as biosorbent for the removal of Cu(II), Co(II) and Zn(II) ions from aqueous media.