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Upcycled materials for water treatment and emerging contaminant recovery: a preliminary study on waste-derived magnetic zeolites
No full textThis study explores the applicability of magnetic zeolites from industrial waste—specifically fly ash (FA) combined with either synthetic Fe-based nanoparticles (FANPs1 and FANPs2) or red mud (RM) in differing ratios (FA1RM1 and FA4RM1)—for the removal and recovery of emerging water contaminants. FA and RM originate from coal combustion in thermoelectric power plants and alumina extraction from bauxite, respectively. The resulting materials were first assessed for acute toxicity on a freshwater model organism, revealing no acute effects. They were then tested under environmentally relevant conditions for the removal of ofloxacin (OFL), a fluoroquinolone antibiotic selected as a representative water-persistent contaminant. Subsequently, three extraction techniques—ultrasound-assisted extraction (UsAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MwAE), and magnetic hyperthermia-assisted extraction (MhAE)—were applied to recover the adsorbed OFL. All materials exhibited high OFL loading efficiencies (80–95%). Among the extraction techniques, MwAE yielded the highest OFL recovery (>80% for FANPs2 and FA4RM1), while UsAE and MhAE achieved lower efficiencies (up to ∼60%), regardless of the adsorbent used. Post-loading and post-extraction characterization studies provided insights into the adsorption mechanism and revealed significant OFL resorption across all zeolite types. Preliminary tests also confirmed the ability of these materials to capture endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), underscoring their potential for water remediation and recovery applications
Violazione del diritto dell’Unione europea e responsabilità dello Stato per attività giurisdizionale: le precisazioni della Cassazione
No full textPrioritising genetic testing for kidney stone disease in adults using a clinical scoring system
No full textDrusen-specific dark adaptation profiles in intermediate age-related macular degeneration
No full textAims: To investigate the influence of macular drusen phenotypes on dark adaptation (DA) in intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD). Methods: This cross-sectional, multicentric study enrolled 57 eyes of 43 iAMD patients. Drusen were subclassified as cuticular, soft, reticular pseudodrusen (RPD), or combined soft + RPD based on multimodal imaging. Dark adaptometry (AdaptDx; 20-minute test-time) assessed DA function through rod intercept time (RIT), last measured log sensitivity (LMLS; primary outcome) and area under the DA curve (AUDAC; secondary outcome). OCT volumes (30°x20° field) were analyzed using an AI-enhanced algorithm providing a quantification of chorioretinal layers and pigment epithelium detachments (PED) volumes. Multivariable tobit and linear regression analyzed associations between drusen phenotypes and DA outcomes. Results: Drusen phenotype distribution was: cuticular 13 eyes (22.8%), soft 13 eyes (22.8%), isolated RPD 21 eyes (36.8%), and combined soft + RPD 10 eyes (17.5%). Nearly all eyes reaching RIT within the 20-minute test ceiling (10 of 11 eyes) had cuticular drusen, which showed preserved rod function (LMLS: 2.9 ± 0.2 log-units; AUDAC: 10.3 ± 3.2 log-units·min; RIT: 14.9 ± 4.5 min) despite presenting the highest PED volumes (301 ± 152 nL). Conversely, isolated RPD demonstrated most severe dysfunction (LMLS: 1.7 ± 0.3; AUDAC: 23.7 ± 5.39). Soft drusen showed intermediate impairment (LMLS: 2.2 ± 0.2; AUDAC: 18.4 ± 2.4). Drusen phenotype was the most significant predictor of DA outcomes in both regression models (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Dark adaptometry reveals distinct patterns of DA impairment across drusen phenotypes, necessitating precise drusen classification when dark adaptometry serves as a functional endpoint in iAMD clinical trials. Future studies should employ extended test protocols (40-minute ceiling) to confirm these findings. Clinical trial number: Not applicable
p-adic moments of L-functions
No full textWe obtain a formula for the p-adic valuation of weighted moments of central L-values of holomorphic cusp forms twisted by Dirichlet characters of order p. In some cases we give an arithmetic interpretation of the constants in the formula. The result is obtained via the study of the digit map, turning a horizontal p-adic measure into a vertical one, applied to the horizontal p-adic L-functions as defined by Kriz and Nordentoft (Horizontal p-adic L-functions, 2023)
Mandibular Movement During Swallowing in Patients with Tinnitus: An Instrumented Case–Control Study
No full textObjectives: This study aimed to determine whether adults with tinnitus exhibit altered phase-specific mandibular kinematics during saliva swallowing and increased prevalence of tongue thrust and Eustachian-tube insufficiency versus tinnitus-free controls. Methods: This was a cross-sectional case–control study including adults with tinnitus and controls. Standardized computerized kinesiography recorded three spontaneous saliva swallows per participant. Primary outcomes were opening/closing time (OCT) and post-closure stabilization time (STT); total swallowing time (SWT) was secondary. Tongue thrust (TT) and tubal insufficiency (TI) were assessed clinically. Distributional assumptions were checked with Shapiro–Wilk; between-group comparisons used two-sided Mann–Whitney U tests and Fisher’s exact tests (TT, TI). Effect sizes included rank-biserial correlation (r), Hodges–Lehmann median difference (Δ), and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals. Co-occurrence of TT and TI and their relationships with OCT, STT, and SWT were evaluated within strata (cases vs. controls) using Fisher’s exact test, φ, Mann–Whitney U tests, and Spearman’s ρ. Given the marked imbalance in age and sex between groups, unadjusted non-parametric comparisons were complemented by multivariable models with adjustment for age and sex. An omnibus non-parametric combination test summarized case–control differences across OCT, STT, and SWT. Results: Statistical analysis was performed on 77 cases with tinnitus and 78 controls. Tinnitus cases showed longer OCT (1.75 ± 0.92 vs. 1.12 ± 0.62 s; p < 0.001; r ≈ 0.40; Δ ≈ +0.60 s) and STT (1.44 ± 0.88 vs. 0.84 ± 0.62 s; p < 0.001; r ≈ 0.42; Δ ≈ +0.60 s), while SWT differed modestly and was not significant (2.75 ± 0.69 vs. 2.57 ± 0.65 s; p = 0.115; r ≈ 0.15; Δ ≈ +0.18 s). TT was more frequent in cases (18.2%) than controls (6.4%; OR = 3.05, 95% CI 1.08–8.61; p = 0.029), whereas TI occurred in 16.9% of cases and 0% of controls (corrected OR = 32.85, 95% CI 1.92–563.49; p < 0.001). Within tinnitus cases, TT and TI did not show meaningful co-occurrence (φ ≈ −0.03; p = 1.00). TT+ tinnitus patients exhibited markedly prolonged OCT compared with TT− (median 2.22 vs. 1.45 s; Δ ≈ +0.88 s; r ≈ 0.60; p < 0.001), whereas STT and SWT were minimally affected; TI was not materially associated with any swallowing-time parameter. Spearman analyses confirmed a moderate monotonic association between TT and OCT in tinnitus cases (ρ ≈ 0.40; p < 0.001), with all other correlations small and clinically negligible. Age- and sex-adjusted analyses confirmed longer OCT and STT in tinnitus cases, whereas SWT remained non-significant; TT and TI also remained more frequent in cases after adjustment. The omnibus test indicated a clear global separation between groups across OCT, STT, and SWT (permutation p < 0.001). Conclusions: Adults with tinnitus exhibit a distinct swallowing signature characterized by prolonged OCT and STT, together with higher prevalence of TT and TI. TT in tinnitus patients is specifically linked to a pronounced prolongation of OCT, while STT and SWT remain largely unchanged, and TI shows no relevant impact on kinematic indices
The virtual element method for arbitrarily distorted 8-node bricks
No full textStandard isoparametric 8-node hexahedral Finite Elements (FEs) are among the most widely used elements for the simulation of 3D problems. While these elements provide excellent results in the case of regular meshes, their accuracy may deteriorate with increasing distortion, finally failing in the case of degenerate elements, where the Jacobian determinant of the geometry mapping vanishes inside the element. In the case of simulation domains of complex geometries, the generation of a mesh of regular or only mildly distorted brick elements can be extremely difficult and time consuming, and in some cases it is even impossible to obtain a mesh free of degenerate elements. Three-dimensional Virtual Elements (VEs) are well known to be highly robust with respect to extreme element distortion; however, at least in the conforming setting, they are restricted to polyhedral elements with planar faces. To enhance the usability of VEs and to make possible their integration in meshes of FE isoparametric bricks, thus significantly reducing the meshing time, in this work we formulate a new 8-node, order 1, hexahedral VE with curved faces, that we name virtual brick. With reference to a simple reaction-diffusion problem, it is shown that the proposed element is convergent and fully compatible with regular 8-node isoparametric FEs. Furthermore, the integrals on the element faces and volume can be computed using the standard Gauss quadrature rules of the isoparametric FE, a property of great importance in the case of nonlinear problems. All these properties hold also in the degenerate case, as long as the virtual brick faces do not intersect with each other
Deletion of MMP12 improves energy metabolism and brown adipose tissue function in mice prone to cardiometabolic disease
No full textMatrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP12) is a proinflammatory macrophage-secreted protein with immunomodulatory functions that affects neutrophil infiltration, cytokine release, macrophage recruitment, and proliferation. We have previously demonstrated that the genetic deletion of MMP12 in a cardiometabolic mouse model ameliorates obesity-induced low-grade inflammation, white adipose tissue dysfunction, and atherosclerosis. Based on the various beneficial metabolic effects of MMP-12 deletion, we hypothesized that loss of MMP-12 also positively affects whole-body energy metabolism and/or brown adipose tissue (BAT) function in a cardiometabolic mouse model. To investigate the effects of MMP12 deletion on whole-body energy metabolism and/or BAT function, we used low-density lipoprotein receptor (Ldlr)/Mmp12 double knockout (DKO) fed a high-fat, sucrose- and cholesterol-enriched diet. DKO mice housed at 22◦C showed increased energy expenditure and decreased BAT size and triglyceride (TG) content. Untargeted proteomic analyses revealed the upregulation of proteins and pathways related to mitochondrial function, glucose metabolism, and fatty acid oxidation in the BAT of DKO mice, whereas the abundance of proteins and pathways associated with inflammation was reduced. In addition, DKO mice exhibited reduced macrophage infiltration in BAT, with the infiltrating macrophages showing lower expression of lipid-associated marker genes. Loss of MMP12 was associated with reduced compactness and sphericity of the mitochondria in the BAT. Following an acute cold exposure, DKO mice had decreased circulating lipid concentrations, especially very low-density lipoprotein-TG and LDL-cholesterol, and increased expression of thermogenic genes. We conclude that MMP12 may play a detrimental role in whole-body energy homeostasis and thermogenesis, as it triggers macrophage infiltration, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction in BAT
The interplay of physical activity, sleep, and chronotype on physical and mental health in Italian university students: a moderated mediation analysis
No full textBackgroundPhysical and mental health are receiving increasing attention among university students. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between physical activity level, chronotype, and sleep quality in influencing physical and mental health in a sample of 691 active Italian university students. MethodsParticipants completed the GSL-TPAQ, MEQ, PSQI, and SF-12 questionnaires and were divided into three categories based on physical activity level (low, medium, high). A three-way ANCOVA assessed the main effects of physical activity, chronotype, and sleep quality on physical and mental health. A moderated mediation model tested whether sleep quality mediated the relationship between chronotype and health, and whether physical activity moderated the effect of sleep quality on health. ResultsA three-way ANCOVA revealed that high physical activity, morningness, and good sleep quality were associated with better mental health. Specifically, students with high physical activity reported higher mental health (43.23 +/- 8.97 a.u.) than those with low activity (40.65 +/- 10.21 a.u.; p < 0.05). Morning-types reported better mental health (43.6 +/- 9 a.u.) compared to evening-types (39.08 +/- 10.05 a.u.; p < 0.001), and good sleepers scored significantly higher on mental health (43.64 +/- 9.04 a.u.) than bad sleepers (37.7 +/- 9.68 a.u.; p < 0.001). Good sleepers also had better physical health (52.55 +/- 5.32 a.u.) than bad sleepers (50.14 +/- 5.97 a.u.; p < 0.001). A moderated mediation model confirmed that sleep quality mediated the relationship between chronotype and mental health (indirect effect: B = -0.08, 95% CI [-0.12, -0.04]), with morningness associated with better sleep, and in turn, better mental health. Physical activity significantly moderated this effect: the index of moderated mediation was significant for medium activity (Index = -0.04, 95% CI [-0.08, -0.01]) and high activity (Index = -0.04, 95% CI [-0.07, -0.01]), suggesting that individuals with medium and high activity levels benefit most from the protective role of sleep in the chronotype-mental health pathway. ConclusionThese findings underscore the need to promote both good sleep hygiene and regular, sustained physical activity to support mental well-being among university students, especially those with an evening chronotype or bad sleep quality