Dissipative processes in superfluid quark matter

We present some results about dissipative processes in fermionic superfluids that are relevant for compact stars. At sufficiently low temperatures the transport properties of a superfluid are dominated by phonons. We report the values of the bulk viscosity, shear viscosity and thermal conductivity of phonons in quark matter at extremely high density and low temperature. Then, we present a new dissipative mechanism that can operate in compact stars and that is named "rocket term". The effect of this dissipative mechanism on superfluid r-mode oscillations is sketched.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure. Prepared for QCD@work 2010 - International Workshop on QCD - Theory and Experiment, 20-23 June 2010, Martina Franca - Valle d'Itria - Ital

Telemedicine in chronic disease management: a Public Health perspective

Introduction In 2014, the School of Hygiene of the University of Padua carried out an evaluation of home telemonitoring (HTM) programs for the management of chronic diseases. Our aims were to verify their efficacy, and to identify a model of care that could be integrated into the current health system. Our analysis addressed both organizational and clinical matters. Methods Our evaluation involved 19 reviews and 53 randomized controlled trials (RCT). Main selection criteria were: papers published over the last 15 years, HTM performed through a sensor system, data sent remotely to physicians, health out-comes and monitored parameters clearly stated. Included diseases were: heart failure, hypertension, COPD, asthma and diabetes. Results Several critical issues were highlighted. Due to the general tendency in the scientific literature to report HTM efficacy, there is a lack of conclusive evidence whether telemedicine actually improves both clinical (e.g. decreased disease/all-cause mortality, drop in disease/all-cause hospitalization rates, improvement in biological parameters and quality of life) and organizational (decreased length of hospital stay, decreased emergency room/other service use, decreased costs) outcomes or not. Discussion From a Public Health perspective, discrepancies and weaknesses may affect published results, since the best method for organizing and delivering telemedicine programs has not yet been identified. There is still no consensus on the following topics: setting: which context expresses the potential of technology best? No studies were found comparing, e.g., rural with urban communities. Within urban scenarios, samples do not discriminate users by their capability to access the healthcare network (e.g. residents in peripheral areas with limited transportation resources, rather than users with reduced mobility); target: it is unclear which demographic or socioeconomic characteristics users should possess to gain most benefit from HTM; duration and frequency: there are significant differences in RCT (and HTM program) duration. It has not been established whether HTM is more effective when permanently implemented, or only in the early stages of disease (i.e. until stabilization). There is no agreement on the optimal HTM implementation frequency, nor whether the patients should also receive traditional interventions (e.g. nurse home visits);scope: it has not been determined whether measurements should be disclosed to patients as educational means to improve disease management. However, past literature does include some indications that the effectiveness of HTM programs may be attributable to care intensification (or to a perceived intensification by the patient, as per the \u201cHawthorne effect\u201d described in sociology) or to the empowerment process. Conclusions HTM management of chronic diseases is a promising and remarkable strategy, still flawed by the lack of evidence. Reported efficacy, although modest, probably has a multifactorial origin. Our hypothesis is that it may not result from the technology itself, but from the impact of such process on multiple components of care, emphasizing patients' involvement and autonomy, and improving monitoring intensity. Further studies are needed to clarify the role played by the different HTM components (target, setting, etc.). The application of HTM as a tool for prevention, empowerment and reduction of healthcare access remains little explored

Creativity in Social Networks: A Core-Periphery Perspectiv

Building on socio-structural explanations, this article elaborates on the tension between individual actors’ positions along the core-periphery continuum of the social field and their ability to gain legitimacy for their creative work. Peripheral actors are less constrained by the field’s normative pressures and free to experiment with un- conventional ideas and solutions, but they may struggle to mobilize attention and harness the symbolic and material resources needed to legitimate their work. By contrast, core players are more effective at leveraging networks to build consensus, but they often exhibit a propensity toward more incremental work due to their higher levels of assimilation into the conventions of the field. To resolve this tension this article advances a strategy which we term optimal network structuration strategy . This strategy implies forming ties that link the two ends of the core-periphery spectrum, in the attempt to increase the likelihood of generating novelty while also enhancing the ability to make such novelty manifest and visible to the field. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed

IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cells suppress GvHD in a mouse model of mismatched hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Mismatched hematopoietic cell transplants for treating leukemia are complicated by graft versus host disease (GvHD). Here, we show that adoptively transferred IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cells suppress GvHD in a mouse model of fully mismatched hematopoietic cell transplantation. These IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cells maintained Eomesodermin (Eomes) and T-bet expression upon transfer and, while there was no evidence of direct killing of donor T cells or host DCs by the IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cells, proliferation of donor T cells was inhibited. Strikingly, the graft versus leukemia effect mediated by donor T cells was retained, resulting in improved overall survival of mice that received lymphoma cells, donor allogeneic T cells, and IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cells. These results suggest that IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cells may be useful in improving immunotherapy of mismatched hematopoietic cell transplantation. Compared with previously proposed protocols, our findings suggest that in vitro NK-cell preactivation with this cytokine cocktail offers the significant advantage that cytokines do not need to be administered systemically to sustain NK-cell activity, thus avoiding toxicity.This research was supported by the Cambridge NIHR BRC Cell Phenotyping Hub and by research grants from the Wellcome Trust and from Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research to F.C.; C.M.H. was supported by a studentship from the Infection, Immunity and Inflammation PhD Programme funded by the Wellcome Trust.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eji.20144520

Influence of the façades convective heat transfer coefficients on the thermal energy demand for an urban street canyon building

In an urban micro-climate environment, the convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) on the façades influences simulated building's energy demand and exterior wall surfaces temperatures. In this paper, it is analyzed how the CHTC values on the façades of a building located in an urban canyon influence the façades temperatures and how important is the choice of an accurate CHTC correlation on the space cooling and heating energy demand. CHTC correlations found in literature are based on some specific micro-climate parameters such as local wind speed, district construction density, temperature differences between façades and canyon air and wind direction. An accurate choice of the right correlation for the simulated urban environment is important to better represent the exterior walls heat removal due to outside wind climate. The effects of the use of different CHTC correlations have been evaluated by means of TRNSYS 17.0 simulation program. The study is performed for a building sited an urban street canyon with the aspect ratio H/W=1 and located in a Mediterranean climate, in Rome. The comparison performed between the results of the numerical simulations shows that some correlations lead to an underestimation of the space heating demand around 9.7% and to an overestimation of the space cooling demand around 17.5%

MHC-dependent inhibition of uterine NK cells impedes fetal growth and decidual vascular remodelling.

NK cells express variable receptors that engage polymorphic MHC class I molecules and regulate their function. Maternal NK cells accumulate at the maternal-fetal interface and can interact with MHC class I molecules from both parents. The relative contribution of the two sets of parental MHC molecules to uterine NK cell function is unknown. Here we show that, in mice, maternal and not paternal MHC educates uterine NK cells to mature and acquire functional competence. The presence of an additional MHC allele that binds more inhibitory than activating NK cell receptors results in suppressed NK cell function, compromised uterine arterial remodelling and reduced fetal growth. Notably, reduced fetal growth occurs irrespectively of the parental origin of the inhibitory MHC. This provides biological evidence for the impact of MHC-dependent NK inhibition as a risk factor for human pregnancy-related complications associated with impaired arterial remodelling.This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, the Centre for Trophoblast Research and the British Heart Foundation.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Nature Publishing Group at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4359