Targeted and untargeted characterization of underivatized policosanols in hemp inflorescence by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry.

The paper describes the development of a targeted quantitative method for the analysis of policosanols in hemp inflorescence. Policosanols are long chain aliphatic alcohols, with carbon chains typically in the range 20-36, with interesting biological activities. These compounds are typically separated by gas chromatography and only a few methods employ liquid chromatography for policosanols.

Multiharmonic Correlations of Different Flow Amplitudes in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76 TeV.

The event-by-event correlations between three flow amplitudes are measured for the first time in Pb-Pb collisions, using higher-order symmetric cumulants. We find that different three-harmonic correlations develop during the collective evolution of the medium when compared to correlations that exist in the initial state. These new results cannot be interpreted in terms of previous lower-order flow measurements since contributions from two-harmonic correlations are explicitly removed in the new observables.

Influenza Virus Infections in Cats.

In the past, cats were considered resistant to influenza. Today, we know that they are susceptible to some influenza A viruses (IAVs) originating in other species. Usually, the outcome is only subclinical infection or a mild fever.

COVID-19 Vaccines in Children with Cow's Milk and Food Allergies.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most challenging global health crisis of our times. Vaccination against COVID-19 plays a key role to control the current pandemic situation. The risk of allergic reactions to new COVID-19 vaccines is low.

Subcutaneous Vulvar Flap Viability Evaluation With Near-Infrared Probe and Indocyanine Green for Vulvar Cancer Reconstructive Surgery: A Feasible Technique.

Vulvar cancer is a rare condition affecting older women and accounts for 3-5% of all gynecological cancers. Primary surgical treatment involves the removal of a large amount of tissue for which reconstructive surgery is often necessary with a high rate of postoperative complications. Despite several techniques for the evaluation of vulvar flap viability have been proposed, many methods cannot be performed during surgery and require expensive devices often missing in a gynecological clinic.

Photoinduced Water Oxidation in Chitosan Nanostructures Containing Covalently Linked Ru Chromophores and Encapsulated Iridium Oxide Nanoparticles.

The luminophore Ru(bpy) (dcbpy) (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine; dcbpy=4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine) is covalently linked to a chitosan polymer; crosslinking by tripolyphosphate produced Ru-decorated chitosan fibers (NS-RuCh), with a 20 : 1 ratio between chitosan repeating units and Ru chromophores. The properties of the Ru compound are unperturbed by the chitosan structure, with NS-RuCh exhibiting the typical metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorption and emission bands of Ru complexes. When crosslinks are made in the presence of IrO nanoparticles, such species are encapsulated within the nanofibers, thus generating the IrO ⊂NS-RuCh system, in which both Ru photosensitizers and IrO water oxidation catalysts are within the nanofiber structures.

Soft-Dielectron Excess in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV.

A measurement of dielectron production in proton-proton (pp) collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, recorded with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC, is presented in this Letter. The data set was recorded with a reduced magnetic solenoid field. This enables the investigation of a kinematic domain at low dielectron (ee) invariant mass m_{ee} and pair transverse momentum p_{T,ee} that was previously inaccessible at the LHC.

Immunoproteasome and Non-Covalent Inhibition: Exploration by Advanced Molecular Dynamics and Docking Methods.

The selective inhibition of immunoproteasome is a valuable strategy to treat autoimmune, inflammatory diseases, and hematologic malignancies. Recently, a new series of amide derivatives as non-covalent inhibitors of the β1i subunit with values in the low/submicromolar ranges have been identified. Here, we investigated the binding mechanism of the most potent and selective inhibitor, -benzyl-2-(2-oxopyridin-1(2H)-yl)propanamide (), to elucidate the steps from the ligand entrance into the binding pocket to the ligand-induced conformational changes.

Lattice or Oxygen-Guided Radiotherapy: What If They Converge? Possible Future Directions in the Era of Immunotherapy.

Palliative radiotherapy has a great role in the treatment of large tumor masses. However, treating a bulky disease could be difficult, especially in critical anatomical areas. In daily clinical practice, short course hypofractionated radiotherapy is delivered in order to control the symptomatic disease.

Alexithymia Is Linked with a Negative Bias for Past and Current Events in Healthy Humans.

Although research provides a rich literature about the influence of emotional states on temporal cognition, evidence about the influence of the style of emotion processing, as a personality trait, on temporal cognition is extremely limited. We provide a novel contribution to the field by exploring the relationship between difficulties of identifying and describing feelings and emotions (alexithymia) and time perspective. One hundred and forty-two healthy participants completed an online version of the TAS-20 scale, which measures alexithymia, and the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, which monitors individual differences in time-orientation regarding the past, present, and future.

Too dry to survive: Leaf hydraulic failure in two Salvia species can be predicted on the basis of water content.

Global warming is exposing plants to increased risks of drought-driven mortality. Recent advances suggest that hydraulic failure is a key process leading to plant death, and the identification of simple and reliable proxies of species-specific risk of irreversible hydraulic damage is urgently required. We assessed the predictive power of leaf water content and shrinkage for monitoring leaf hydraulic failure in two Mediterranean native species, Salvia ceratophylloides (Sc) and S.

Interaction of selected terpenoids with two SARS-CoV-2 key therapeutic targets: An in silico study through molecular docking and dynamics simulations.

The outbreak of COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, along with the lack of targeted medicaments, forced the scientific world to search for new antiviral formulations. In the current emergent situation, drug repurposing of well-known traditional and/or approved drugs could be the most effective strategy. Herein, through computational approaches, we aimed to screen 14 natural compounds from limonoids and terpenoids class for their ability to inhibit the key therapeutic target proteins of SARS-CoV-2.

Corticosteroid resistance in asthma: Cellular and molecular mechanisms.

Inhaled glucocorticoids (GCs) are drugs widely used as treatment for asthma patients. They prevent the recruitment and activation of lung immune and inflammatory cells and, moreover, have profound effects on airway structural cells to reverse the effects of disease on airway inflammation. GCs bind to a specific receptor, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily and modulates pro- and anti-inflammatory gene transcription through a number of distinct and complementary mechanisms.

The influence of lunar cycle at the time of conception on sex offspring distribution in dogs.

The effect of seasonal variation and lunar cycles on reproductive parameters in dogs is unknown. Lunar cycles have important effects on several biological events. Controversy exists about the influence of lunar cycles on offspring sex ratio.

Contribution of the right temporoparietal junction and ventromedial prefrontal cortex to theory of mind in autism: A randomized, sham-controlled tDCS study.

Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to attribute subjective mental states to oneself and others and is significantly impaired in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A frontal-posterior network of regions including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and temporoparietal junction (TPJ) is involved in ToM. Previous studies show an underactivation of these regions in ASD.

Detection of genomic regions underlying milk production traits in Valle del Belice dairy sheep using regional heritability mapping.

The aim of this study was to identify genomic regions underlying milk production traits in the Valle del Belice dairy sheep using regional heritability mapping (RHM). Repeated measurements for milk yield (MY), fat percentage and yield (F% and FY) and protein percentage and yield (P% and PY), collected over a period of 6 years (2006-2012) on 481 Valle del Belice ewes, were used for the analysis. Animals were genotyped with the Illumina 50k SNP chip.

Elliptic Flow of Electrons from Beauty-Hadron Decays in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV.

The elliptic flow of electrons from beauty hadron decays at midrapidity (|y|<0.8) is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the safety management in Italian Seveso industries.

The paper discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Italian chemical and process industries, where Directive 2012/18/EU Seveso III, for the control of Major Accident Hazard (MAH), is enforced. The Safety Management System (SMS) for the control of MAH, which has been mandatory for 20 years in Italian Seveso Establishments, has been highly stressed by the external pressure, related in some way to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fairly, most companies, in particular in oil and gas sectors, have demonstrated an adequate capability to reconcile operation continuity and health requirements.

Graphene Quantum Dots by Eco-Friendly Green Synthesis for Electrochemical Sensing: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives.

The continuous decrease in the availability of fossil resources, along with an evident energy crisis, and the growing environmental impact due to their use, has pushed scientific research towards the development of innovative strategies and green routes for the use of renewable resources, not only in the field of energy production but also for the production of novel advanced materials and platform molecules for the modern chemical industry. A new class of promising carbon nanomaterials, especially graphene quantum dots (GQDs), due to their exceptional chemical-physical features, have been studied in many applications, such as biosensors, solar cells, electrochemical devices, optical sensors, and rechargeable batteries. Therefore, this review focuses on recent results in GQDs synthesis by green, easy, and low-cost synthetic processes from eco-friendly raw materials and biomass-waste.