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The blockchain and Web 3 are transforming the way we see the world. The blockchain is a disruptive technology that started with Bitcoin in 2009 and is used in cryptocurrencies and business solutions. Smart contracts are fundamental in the blockchain to build decentralized applications. Web 3 is the new Internet based on the blockchain and decentralized applications. It allows operating without intermediaries and offers benefits such as cost savings, greater transparency, and higher profits. Tokens are digital assets created on a blockchain that allow users to own products and services and have control on the Internet. Web 3 brings challenges and opportunities in terms of regulations, data privacy, governance, reliability, scalability, and integration with other blockchains. [Extracted from the article]

A close examination of Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness(1928) and Olga Moraes Sarmento’s As Minhas Memórias(1948) reveals interesting intersections. Hall’s epic novel is a long, plangent plea for an understanding of ‘the Invert’, whereas Moraes Sarmento’s memoir, dedicated to her female lover, offers thinly disguised clues as to her own sexuality. Moraes Sarmento settled in Paris, for she did not care for the Portuguese mindset of her time. An intriguing aspect of her memoir is when she indulges in a lengthy meditation, similar, though not as maudlin as Hall’s, on her possible ‘missteps’ in life and, like Hall, goes over the head of ecclesiastical authority to address God’s merciful judgment. My article seeks to tease out the subtle implications of the themes ‘nature’, ‘human nature’, and ‘God’ in Sarmento’s memoir and contrast them with Hall’s more heightened arguments.

Doel. Dat ondersteunende relaties een positieve invloed hebben op herstel van een psychose is inmiddels algemeen geaccepteerd, maar over hoe partnerrelaties hierin een rol spelen, is veel minder bekend. Deze review geeft een overzicht van kwantitatief onderzoek naar de invloed van partnerrelaties op de mentale gezondheid en het algemeen welbevinden van mensen met een psychotische stoornis.

The following are some of our (hopefully stylish) fashion predictions for the industry for the coming year. 1. Fashionable Artificial Intelligence Technology has had a huge impact on the fashion [...]

Emerging fungal pathogens are a global challenge for humankind. Many efforts have been made to understand the mechanisms underlying pathogenicity in bacteria, and OMICs techniques are largely responsible for those advancements. By contrast, our limited understanding of opportunism and antifungal resistance is preventing us from identifying, limiting and interpreting the emergence of fungal pathogens. The genus Scedosporium(Microascaceae) includes fungi with high tolerance to environmental pollution, whilst some species can be considered major human pathogens, such as Scedosporium apiospermumand Scedosporium boydii. However, unlike other fungal pathogens, little is known about the genome evolution of these organisms. We sequenced two novel genomes of Scedosporium aurantiacumand Scedosporium minutisporumisolated from extreme, strongly anthropized environments. We compared all the available Scedosporiumand Microascaceae genomes, that we systematically annotated and characterized ex novoin most cases. The genomes in this family were integrated in a Phylum-level comparison to infer the presence of putative, shared genomic traits in filamentous ascomycetes with pathogenic potential. The analysis included the genomes of 100 environmental and clinical fungi, revealing poor evolutionary convergence of putative pathogenicity traits. By contrast, several features in Microascaceae and Scedosporiumwere detected that might have a dual role in responding to environmental challenges and allowing colonization of the human body, including chitin, melanin and other cell wall related genes, proteases, glutaredoxins and magnesium transporters. We found these gene families to be impacted by expansions, orthologous transposon insertions, and point mutations. With RNA-seq, we demonstrated that most of these anciently impacted genomic features responded to the stress imposed by an antifungal compound (voriconazole) in the two environmental strains S. aurantiacumMUT6114 and S. minutisporumMUT6113. Therefore, the present genomics and transcriptomics investigation stands on the edge between stress resistance and pathogenic potential, to elucidate whether fungi were pre-adapted to infect humans. We highlight the strengths and limitations of genomics applied to opportunistic human pathogens, the multifactoriality of pathogenicity and resistance to drugs, and suggest a scenario where pressures other than anthropic contributed to forge filamentous human pathogens.

I am in full agreement with your editorial 'Upside Down' (Flight International, 16-22 August) on the Italian investigation into the Tuninter ATR 72 that ditched near Palermo, Sicily. You offer [...]

Giving tabletops a face-lift and restoring the authentic look of redwood lawn furniture Q: The top of our all-purpose pine table is not only scratched but bears the scars and [...]

This paper presents a model-free predictor applied to forecast values of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) relation in wireless communication networks. The main motivation behind this study is to improve the spectrum allocation in 5 G networks by proactively selecting a proper modulation and coding scheme using predicted (SNR) values rather than relying on real-time measurements. To achieve this, the proposed method combines techniques from chaos theory, specifically Takens reconstruction, with the unscented Kalman filter to generate a local model that is used to estimate the evolution of the system. This model-free predictor is called the Kalman-Takens filter (KTF). When applied to data collected from a live 5 G the error between predicted and observed SNRs were mostly below 10% after the filter had enough time to converge. The optimal prediction window is around 100 time steps and no significant deviations were oberved for forecasts up to 500 steps making the KTF a useful tool for optimizing resource allocation in mobile networks.

Bringing a Canterbury back to life Q: I picked up a wooden stand known as a Canterbury at a flea market. It was very rickety but I couldn't pass it [...]

There is a need to develop novel interventions for psychosis, targeted at specific psychological mechanisms. We used a classical conditioning paradigm to a) modify implicit self-esteem and b) examine subsequent effects on subclinical psychotic symptoms measured by the Experience Sampling Methodology. This study is a proof-of-concept pilot investigation conducted with 28 students with high paranoia levels, assessing variations in their self-esteem, paranoid beliefs, and subclinical psychotic symptoms daily. After 2 days, participants were randomized to receive either a positive conditioning task (repeatedly pairing self-relevant words with an image of a smiling face) or a neutral conditioning task (repeatedly pairing self-relevant words with random smiling, angry, or neutral faces). After the intervention, the positive conditioning participants showed significantly higher levels of implicit self-esteem and lower subclinical psychotic symptoms than the control condition participants. This study demonstrated that implicit self-esteem can be increased by using a classical conditioning task.

Once considered merely as a vehicle for spermatozoa, it is now clear that seminal plasma (SP) induces a variety of biological actions on the female reproductive tissues able to modulate the immune response against paternal antigens. To our knowledge, the influence of SP on the immune response against sexually transmitted pathogens has not been yet evaluated. We here analyzed whether the seminal vesicle fluid (SVF), which contributes almost 60% of the SP volume in mice, could modulate the immune response against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). We found that SVF does not modify the course of primary infection, but markedly improved protection conferred by vaginal vaccination with inactivated HSV-2 against a lethal challenge. This protective effect was shown to be associated to a robust memory immune response mediated by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in both the lymph nodes draining the vagina and the vaginal mucosa, the site of viral replication. In contrast with the widespread notion that SP acts as an immunosuppressive agent, our results suggest that SVF might improve the female immune response against sexually transmitted pathogens.

When she first opened her co-friendly hair salon in August, Kara Walston had no idea the amount of buzz she would generate. As someone who is environmentally conscious, it made [...]

The relative success of platinum (Pt)-based chemotherapy comes at the cost of severe adverse side effects and is associated with a high risk of pro-oncogenic activation in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we report the synthesis of C-POC, a novel Pt(IV) cell-penetrating peptide conjugate showing a reduced impact against nonmalignant cells. In vitro and in vivo evaluation using patient-derived tumor organoids and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry indicates that C-POC maintains robust anticancer efficacy while displaying diminished accumulation in healthy organs and reduced adverse toxicity compared to the standard Pt-based therapy. Likewise, C-POC uptake is significantly lowered in the noncancerous cells populating the tumor microenvironment. This results in the downregulation of versican, a biomarker of metastatic spreading and chemoresistance that we found upregulated in patients treated with standard Pt-based therapy. Altogether, our findings underscore the importance of considering the off-target impact of anticancer treatment on normal cells to improve drug development and patient care.

Replacing veneer pieces, caring for gumwood, staining new cherry, and more. Q: I needed to replace a small piece of light-colored veneer that runs around the edge of my coffee [...]

In a context of COVID-19 vaccine shortages, this study sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of receiving one dose of Gam-COVID-Vac rAd26 followed by a second COVID-19 vaccine dose of either Gam-COVID-Vac rAd5, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or BBIBP-CorV in a cohort of older adults.

Heterologous vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) provides a rational strategy to rapidly increase vaccination coverage in many regions of the world. Although data regarding messenger RNA (mRNA) and ChAdOx1 vaccine combinations are available, there is limited information about the combination of these platforms with other vaccines widely used in developing countries, such as BBIBP-CorV and Sputnik V. Here, we assess the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of 15 vaccine combinations in 1,314 participants. We evaluate immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti-spike response and virus neutralizing titers and observe that a number of heterologous vaccine combinations are equivalent or superior to homologous schemes. For all cohorts in this study, the highest antibody response is induced by mRNA-1273 as the second dose. No serious adverse events are detected in any of the schedules analyzed. Our observations provide rational support for the use of different vaccine combinations to achieve wide vaccine coverage in the shortest possible time.

We report on the light-induced absorption in undoped photorefractive Bi_2TeO_5 (BTeO) crystal. The so-called “two-center” model is shown to adequately describe the present material behavior. We demonstrate that nonlinear light-induced absorption occurs for high light intensities. The theoretical model allowed us to find out some material parameters from experimental data. We also investigate the effect of intensity and wavelength on the light-induced absorption.

I am writing on a topic touched upon in the May issue. Your article on Great Lake surfing was fantastic! I'm a land-locked boy myself, born and raised in Madison, […]

Shortages of component two of Sputnik V vaccine (rAd5) are delaying the possibility of achieving full immunisation. The immunogenic response associated with the use of alternative schemes to complete the scheme was not explored.

A professional answers your questions about refinishing mahogany, removing hardened glue drips, and more. TONE UP Q: When I set up house in the '60s, my first antique was a [...]

Getting an old-fashioned high shine on refinished pieces, using canvas to repair split backboards, and more. Q: I want to restore a beat-up icebox that has been sitting on my [...]

The dynamics of self-esteem and paranoia were examined in 41 patients with past or current paranoia and 23 controls using questionnaires and the Experience Sampling Method (a structured diary technique). For some analyses, patients were further divided into three groups: a) individuals who believed that persecution is underserved (“poor me”; PM), b) individuals who believed that persecution is justified (“bad me”; BM), and c) remitted patients. The results revealed that PM and especially BM patients had highly unstable psychological profiles. Beliefs about deservedness of persecution fluctuated over 6 days. BM beliefs were associated with low self-esteem and depression. Measured concurrently, paranoia predicted lower self-esteem in the BM patients. Prospectively, paranoia predicted lower subsequent self-esteem in BM patients but higher subsequent self-esteem in PM patients. Our results suggest that paranoia can serve a defensive function in some circumstances. The reasons for inconsistencies in self-esteem research in relation to paranoia are discussed.

In this paper, the authors present a reference P2P architecture based on autonomous, self-emerging semantic communities of interest (CoIs) for collective intelligence creation and management. An approach for enabling knowledge organization and management at the level of a single peer is presented in the paper, as well as techniques for supporting a peer to participate to the construction of a shared community vocabulary, according to the terminological preferences automatically extracted from its personal knowledge. Furthermore, an application example in the e-health domain is presented in the framework of the iCoord system for P2P semantic coordination to show the use of a manifesto-based collective intelligence for enforcing effective collaboration in a real case study.

Using event-driven computer simulations, we test a predictive resource allocation scheme for broadband wireless communications systems based on the Kalman Filter. We implemented the filter in six different scheduling algorithms and selected the best performing of them (EXP Rule and FLS) for a detailed analysis. We considered several simulation scenarios with velocities ranging from 0 to 350 km/h representing pedestrian, vehicular and high-speed train scenarios. We also considered different traffic profiles by changing the number of mobile devices between 10 and 250. Our simulations showed improvement in throughput, spectral efficiency, and a decrease in packet loss rates for two schedulers: the EXP Rule and the Frame Level Scheduler. Our predictor can be applied to any wireless system that performs centralized resource allocation based on data rate or any other quantity that needs to be estimated for resource distribution in a network.

In the following paper, we attempt to re-evaluate the rise of complex societies in the Valley of Oaxaca based on indigenous conceptualizations of land, territory and “resources” as components within a broader Mesoamerican cosmological system. In so doing, we challenge Eurocentric theoretical models of the emergence of civilization that rely on a uniform linear progression, and we articulate an approach that seeks to integrate both material and ideological perspectives.

The degree of decolorization of Poly R-478, a highly recalcitrant anthraquinone dye, by three basidiomycetes belonging to Polyporalesisolated from compost was investigated together with the enzymes involved. Decolorization tests in two liquid cultures, one with a simple mycelium inoculum, the other with an inoculum of mycelium grown on straw, resulted in 70% and 87% decolorization respectively in 7 days. However, the efficiency did not increase significantly in the presence of the lignocellulose substrate. The three strains produced laccase and/or manganese peroxidase activity during the decolorization, whereas lignin peroxidase activity was not observed. Previous growth on straw enhanced the synthesis of ligninolytic enzymes, though there was no correlation between enzyme activity and decolorization. The three fungi can be proposed as promising candidates for the treatment of colored industrial effluents and probably for soils contaminated by complex polymers, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

This research illustrates the qualitative and quantitative composition of the mycoflora of both a green compost (thermophilically produced from plant debris) and a vermicompost (mesophilically produced by the action of earthworms on plant and animal wastes after thermophilic preconditioning). Fungi were isolated using three media (PDA, CMC, PDA plus cycloheximide), incubated at three temperatures (24, 37 and 45 C). Substantial quali-quantitative differences in the species composition of the two composts were observed. The total fungal load was up to 8.2 × 105CFU/g dwt in compost and 4.0 × 105CFU/g dwt in vermicompost. A total of 194 entities were isolated: 118 from green compost, 142 from vermicompost; 66 were common to both. Structural characterization of this kind is necessary to determine the most appropriate application of a compost and its hygienic quality.

The effects on mycoflora of Norway spruce stumps of biological and chemical treatments in the fight against Heterobasidion annosumcoll. were investigated two yr after applications of these treatments. The biological treatments were Hypholoma fasciculare, Phanerochaete velutina, Vuilleminia comedens, Trichoderma harzianumand both the conidial suspension and culture filtrate of Verticillium bulbillosum; propiconazole was used as chemical treatment. Samplings were performed on 130 stumps, including controls with (C1) and without (C2) an autologous wood disk. Forty-nine fungal taxa were isolated, and most were Deuteromycetes. Trichoderma harzianumsignificantly reduced the number of taxa versus controls (three versus 25), while the other treatments showed more limited qualitative and quantitative effects. Cluster and correspondence analysis differentiated three groups of treatments: one including the three Basidiomycetes, V. bulbillosumand C1; one comprising propiconazole and C2; and one composed of the treatment with T. harzianumonly. Because the same stumps already had been sampled one yr after treatments in a similar study, comparisons between data were possible and were very useful in the investigation of the temporal evolution of the effects of each treatment. Multivariate analysis showed that the strong effects of T. harzianumon stump mycocenoses increased over time. Transient effects were shown in most treatments (i.e., the three Basidiomycetes), whereas V. bulbillosumhad the least impact on naturally occurring mycoflora.

The ability of fungi to break down complex carbon sources makes them of vital importance in both the generation and application of compost. This paper illustrates the diversity and functions of the mycoflora of both a green compost (made solely thermophilically from plant debris) and a vermicompost (made mesophilically by the action of earthworms on plant and animal wastes). The soil dilution plate technique was applied on 3 media (PDA, CMC, PDA plus cycloheximide) and at 3 incubation temperatures (24°C, 37°C and 45°C) to isolate and identify fungal entities. Enzymatic activities (amylase, cellulase, chitinase, esterase, ligninase, pectinase, phosphatase, plastic degradation and xylanase) of most species from both composts were evaluated with a semiquantitative method on 15 substrates. There were substantial qualiquantitative differences in the species composition of the two composts. A total of 193 entities were isolated: 54 from green compost only, 77 from vermicompost only, 62 from both. This taxonomic diversity was reflected in the metabolic potential. Amilase, cellulase, protease and esterase activities were significantly higher in the green compost. Lignin and plastic polymer degradation were significantly higher in the vermicompost. Structural and functional characterization of this kind is of assistance in determining both the most appropriate application of composts and their hygienic quality.

Neutron production via 4He breakup and p(p, np+)p is considered in the innermost region of an accretion disk surrounding a Kerr black hole. These reactions occur in a plasma in Wien equilibrium, where (radiatively produced) pair production equals annihilation. Cooling of the disk is assumed to be due to unsaturated inverse Comptonization of external soft photons and to the energy needed to ignite both nuclear reactions. Assuming matter composition of 90% H and 10% He, we show that, close to the border of this region, neutron production is essentially from 4He breakup. Close to the horizon, the contribution from p(p, np+)p to the neutron production is comparable to that from the breakup. We show that the viscosity generated by the collisions of the accreting matter with the neutrons may drive stationary accretion, for accretion rates below a critical value. In this case, the solution to the disk equations is double-valued, and for both solutions protons outnumber the pairs. Our results apply whenever M17/M < 1.74. We suggest that these solutions may mimic the states of high and low luminosity observed in Cygnus X-1 and related sources. This could be explained either by the coupling of thermal instability to the peculiar behavior of the viscosity parameter a with the ion temperature that may intermittently switch accretion off, or by the impossibility of a perfect tuning for both thermal and pair equilibrium in the disk, a fact that forces the system to undergo a kind of limit cycle behavior around the upper solution.

The growing proportion of elderly patients largely accounts for the striking increase in number of patients admitted to renal replacement treatment (RRT) in recent years. Most of them are treated with haemodialysis, which involves various problems connected with vascular access. A survey was therefore conducted amongst the Dialysis Units of Lombardy. The aim was to evaluate how vascular access surgery for elderly patients is organized, and which techniques are used to monitor surgical access as well as the central catheters (CVCs). A questionnaire was sent to the 43 Lombardy Units, 79.1% of which replied. The results of a previous study analyzing the same topics in all patients on RRT in Lombardy were considered as “controls”. In this way it was possible to compare the strategy used for elderly patients with that of the general dialysis population.Forty-one percent (41%) of elderly patients in Lombardy were started on RRT using acute CVCs. This percentage is quite similar to that documented (39%) in the general dialysis population. The distribution is quite different when we consider the patients alive on RRT at 31 December 1999, when a permanent vascular access (distal AVF, proximal AVF or AV graft) was used in about 70% of cases.For elderly patients, as for the general RRT population, first choice access is mainly (79%) distal arterio-venous fistula (AVF) with end-to-end, side-to-side with distal ligature of the vein or side-to-end anastomosis. As a second choice, proximal AVF is more widely used than AV grafts, which are implanted only when all native vessels and related surgical procedures are exhausted.CVCs are valid solutions not only as temporary access, but also as an alternative permanent solution to the problems related to elderly dialysis patients. In the elderly, the jugular vein is the most frequent site of insertion for chronic tunnelled devices (91%) and the femoral vein for acute CVCs (40%). Despite the documented incidence of related episodes of stenosis/obstruction, the subclavian vein is used as a temporary access in quite a high percentage of cases (22% in the elderly and 32% in the general RRT population).Only in selected cases diagnostic procedures (mainly Venography and Doppler studies) are performed prior to permanent access choice. Similarly, vascular access is monitored mainly using a recirculation test, albeit not routinely. As in the general dialysis population, in the cases of vascular access thrombosis and stenosis, surgical revision is the most common approach.

AbstractThis study describes the effects of biological treatments with Trichoderma harzianum, Hypholoma fasciculare, Phanerochaete velutina, Verticillium bulbillosumand Vuilleminia comedensand chemical treatment with propiconazole against Heterobasidion annosum, on the microfungal communities of Picea abiesstumps in a forest in the Alps of northwestern Italy. Immediately after felling, 20 healthy stumps per treatment were sprayed with the treatment preparations and their surface was protected with an autologous wood disk. The controls were 20 untreated stumps covered with an autologous wood disk. Another 20 untreated stumps were left without a wood disk to evaluate disk effects on the naturally occurring mycoflora. The microfungal populations were evaluated after one yr on 27 shavings from each stump. Fifty-seven fungal taxa were isolated, and most were Deuteromycetes. The number of species was generally significantly lower in the treatments respect to the control; T. harzianumtreatment reduced the most species, V. bulbillosumthe least. Multivariate analyses differentiated four groups of treatments: one comprising the treatments with the three lignovorous Basidiomycetes, one comprising the treatments with V. bulbillosumand the control, one comprising the treatment with propiconazole and the untreated stumps without the wood disk, and one composed of the treatment with T. harzianumonly. These findings provide evidence that the pattern of fungal colonization of Picea abiesstumps is influenced, sometimes greatly, by the treatments examined. T. harzianumand V. bulbillosumhad the greatest and the least effect, respectively, on the naturally occurring mycocenoses.

Abstract: Microfungi isolated from soil samples collected in Franz Joseph Land by means of the soil dilution and soil washing methods were screened for their ability to grow at low temperatures. The oligotrophic ability of the psychrotrophic strains was then determined on silica gel. A total of 40 taxa from 21 genera were isolated. Most isolates were species of Acremonium, Geomyces, Mortierella, Phialophora, Phoma, Thelebolus and sterile fungi. Eutypella scoparia, Hyphozyma variabilis and Ovadendron sulphureo-ochraceum are new records as soil and Arctic fungi. Most fungal isolates were psychrotrophic. The few psychrooligotrophs were species of Geomyces, Phoma, Thelebolus and Mortierella. Overall, our results suggest that the major component of an Arctic soil mycoflora should be active in one or more short growing seasons interspersed with periods of prolonged dormancy. Only a minor component, such as the small group of psychrooligotrophic fungi found in this study, may be expected to show continuous slow growth.

We evaluated T-cell mediated lymphokine activated killer (LAK) function during the late (greater than 5 months) reconstitution phase after T cell-depleted allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for hematologic malignancy. Since LAK cells are sustained by interleukin-2 (IL-2), we also investigated the ability of post-BMT T cells to produce IL-2. These functions were investigated at the clonal level. More than 200 T-cell clones from six long-term BMT recipients were generated and compared with 60 T-cell clones derived from two normal controls. Almost all the CD8+ clonal cultures from BMT recipients expressed cytolytic activity in a lectin-dependent cellular cytoxicity assay. Interestingly, a higher proportion of BMT recipient-derived cytolytic clones were able to mediate LAK activity in comparison with control clones (28% versus 4%, P less than .05). However, T-cell clones from BMT recipients, as opposed to control clones, were largely incapable of producing IL-2. Given the high proportions of post-BMT circulating CD8+ T cells, it appears that, in long-term BMT recipients, the precursors of nonspecific LAK effectors are present at above normal levels. However, their function may be defective in vivo due to poor IL-2 production.

Reaction of 10-deacetyl-10-dehydrobaccatin III-type taxanes with hydrazine afforded 7,9-pyrazoline adducts, which retained anticancer activity.