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Ambipolar organic light-emitting transistors (OLETs) are extremely appealing devices for applications from sensing to communication and display realization due to their inherent capability of coupling switching and light-emitting features. However, their limited external quantum efficiency (EQE) and brightness under ambipolar bias conditions hamper the progress of OLET technology. In this context, it was recently demonstrated in multi-stacked devices that the engineering of the interface between the topmost electron-transporting organic semiconductor (e-OS) and the emission layer (EML) is crucial in optimizing the recombination of the minority charges (i.e., electrons) and to enhance EQE and brightness. Here, we introduce a new light-emitting conjugated polar polymer (CPP) in a multi-stacked OLET to improve the electron injection from e-OS to EML and to study, simultaneously, electroluminescence-related processes such as exciton formation and quenching processes. Interestingly, we observed that the highly polar groups present in the conjugate polymer induced polarization-related relevant charge-trapping phenomena with consequent modulation of the entire electrostatic field distribution and unexpected optoelectronic features. In view of the extensive use of CPPs in OLETs, the use of multifunctional CPPs for probing photophysical processes at the functional interfaces in stacked devices may speed up the improvement of the light-emission properties in OLETs.

BackgroundMethamphetamine (METH) use is a public health crisis that disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM). There are currently no FDA-approved pharmacological interventions to treat methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). MUD is associated with social impairments and extremely high treatment attrition rates. Administration of oxytocin, a neuropeptide involved in social attachment, may be a novel approach to addressing these issues. Moreover, oxytocin administration has shown promise for reducing METH-related addictive behavior in animal models, but has not yet been investigated in clinical trials for MUD. Last, oxytocin is known to modulate stress responsivity via regulation of the autonomic nervous system, which is dysregulated in METH users. We hypothesize that oxytocin, in combination with group psychotherapy, will increase treatment engagement, reduce addiction behavior, and mitigate stress hyperreactivity.MethodsThis is a randomized, double blind trial of oxytocin 40-IU (n = 24) or placebo (n = 24) administered intranasally prior to each of six weekly motivational interviewing group therapy (MIGT) sessions for MUD in MSM.Primary outcome(a) session attendance.Secondary outcomes(b) group cohesion, (c) anxiety, (d) METH craving, (e) METH use, and (f) in-session cardiac physiology.ResultsParticipants receiving oxytocin had significantly higher group therapy attendance than those receiving placebo, OR 3.26, 95% CI [1.27-8.41], p = .014. There was a small effect of oxytocin on group cohension, but not anxiety or craving. METH use did not change over the six-week MIGT course in either treatment arm. Participants receiving oxytocin had lower average heart rates during MIGT sessions and higher heart rate variability. There were positive main effects of MIGT over Time regardless of study drug.ConclusionsThis evidence, and the lack of any serious adverse events, suggests that oxytocin may safely increase treatment attendance. One possible mechanism by which it may do so is its modulation of the autonomic nervous system. Further investigation is warranted.

BackgroundThe prevalence of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) in the United States has risen dramatically in the past four decades and is concentrated in populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite the public health consequences of MUD, there are no FDA-approved psychopharmacological treatments. Psychosocial treatment alone has been shown to reduce methamphetamine use, but high attrition rates limit treatment efficacy. Promising findings from animal models of MUD using exogenous oxytocin, a social neuropeptide, have set the stage for translational work. Along with unique anti-addiction effects, oxytocin holds a primary role in enhancing social salience and modulating stress. In humans, oxytocin administration, combined with evidence-based psychosocial interventions, may act synergistically to improve addiction treatment outcomes and improve retention rates in current MUD treatment.Methods/designWe are conducting a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oxytocin-enhanced motivational interviewing group therapy (MIGT). Oxytocin or placebo 40 IU is administered intranasally in conjunction with six, weekly MIGT sessions. We will recruit 50 MSM, initiating treatment for MUD from specialized community health programs in San Francisco, CA, USA. Individuals will be randomized (1:1) to receive six, weekly sessions of MIGT with or without oxytocin. Our primary outcome is session attendance. Other outcomes of interest include: measures of group cohesion, anxiety, psychophysiology, and stimulant craving and use.DiscussionThis will be the first study of oxytocin's effects in humans with MUD. Findings from this novel protocol will attempt to bridge existing animal data with the need for innovative clinical treatments for MUD, inform the growing field of pharmacologically-enhanced psychotherapy, and help to elucidate mechanisms behind oxytocin's potential anti-addiction effects.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02881177 . Registered on 26 August 2016.

The article deals with the psychological reasons pro or against vaccination. After a review of the literature, a study was conducted aimed at evaluating the differences in some psychological characteristics between people who have definitely consented to vaccination and persons opposed to vaccines. Two groups were selected pro or against vaccination (n = 54 each), balanced by gender, age, education and work activity. The research was conducted using an online form, including opinion, attitude and motivation questionnaires, test on stress and attribution of control in health issues, and the 10-item Big Five Inventory Test. The results show that a less favorable attitude toward vaccines correlates with a lack of confidence in institutions, linked to external Locus of Control of Health, and to the perception that the actual risk is artificially increased for hidden reasons in vaccination campaigns; while the personality variables seem to have less influence. These results could be helpful for addressing the vaccination campaign to specific targets, and overcoming psychological biases and prejudices.

Ambipolar organic light-emitting transistors (OLETs) are extremely appealing devices for applications from sensing to communication and display realization due to their inherent capability of coupling switching and light-emitting features. However, their limited external quantum efficiency (EQE) and brightness under ambipolar bias conditions hamper the progress of OLET technology. In this context, it was recently demonstrated in multi-stacked devices that the engineering of the interface between the topmost electron-transporting organic semiconductor (e-OS) and the emission layer (EML) is crucial in optimizing the recombination of the minority charges (i.e., electrons) and to enhance EQE and brightness. Here, we introduce a new light-emitting conjugated polar polymer (CPP) in a multi-stacked OLET to improve the electron injection from e-OS to EML and to study, simultaneously, electroluminescence-related processes such as exciton formation and quenching processes. Interestingly, we observed that the highly polar groups present in the conjugate polymer induced polarization-related relevant charge-trapping phenomena with consequent modulation of the entire electrostatic field distribution and unexpected optoelectronic features. In view of the extensive use of CPPs in OLETs, the use of multifunctional CPPs for probing photophysical processes at the functional interfaces in stacked devices may speed up the improvement of the light-emission properties in OLETs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Phosphorene or 2D black phosphorus (2D bP) has attracted increasing attention within material scientists in the last decade due to its electronic and photophysical properties as a pristine material. Furthermore, the high chemical reactivity of 2D bP enables the engineering of the outermost superficial layers. This tailored functionalization allows to obtain 2D bP‐based systems such as heterostructures with multiple and/or nonstandard functional properties that can be straightforwardly exploited for real‐setting applications. The aim of this review is to summarize the state of the art on the different strategies in the functionalization of 2D bP such as chemical reactivity with organic molecules, decoration with metal and metal‐oxide nanoparticles, passivation with thin layers of metal oxides or polymers, van der Waals coupling with different inorganic 2D materials, blending into polymeric composites. The main physical and chemical properties of all the considered heterostructures and as‐realized derivatives of 2D bP, with a particular focus on the increase of stability in air, are described. Finally, the functional characteristics of each system which are correlated to and involved in the development of specific real‐setting applications, spanning from catalysis, to electronics and optoelectronics, to energy conversion and storage and biodiagnostics, are highlighted.

À la fin des années 1950, Salvatore Quasimodo participe à un projet dirigé par l’anthropologue Ernesto De Martino consacré à un rituel d’exorcisme pagano-chrétien : celui de la transe atteinte par la tarentelle. Tous les ans, à la fin du mois de juin, les « tarentulés » (physiquement ou symboliquement mordus par la mythique tarentule, dont les symptômes psycho-physiologiques font d’eux des « malades ») se rendent à Galatina (Pouilles) pour tenter d’entrer en communication avec Saint Paul et de guérir ainsi de leur mal. De Martino demande à Quasimodo de rédiger et de lire le commentaire du documentaire réalisé sur cette pratique traditionnelle. C’est cependant moins pour ce qu’il nous apprend sur les tarentulés que pour ce qu’il nous révèle sur le poète que ce texte suscite notre intérêt. En effet, on y retrouve de multiples échos aux poèmes et aux correspondances de ce dernier, qui partage avec les exorcisés un même rapport douloureux et somatique au monde. C’est donc presque logiquement que l’on assiste à une projection de Quasimodo dans la figure du tarentulé, dont il sublime la transe en un trasumanar – qui constitue d’ailleurs le cœur de son dernier recueil, Dare e avere.

Abstract Background The prevalence of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) in the United States has risen dramatically in the past four decades and is concentrated in populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite the public health consequences of MUD, there are no FDA-approved psychopharmacological treatments. Psychosocial treatment alone has been shown to reduce methamphetamine use, but high attrition rates limit treatment efficacy. Promising findings from animal models of MUD using exogenous oxytocin, a social neuropeptide, have set the stage for translational work. Along with unique anti-addiction effects, oxytocin holds a primary role in enhancing social salience and modulating stress. In humans, oxytocin administration, combined with evidence-based psychosocial interventions, may act synergistically to improve addiction treatment outcomes and improve retention rates in current MUD treatment. Methods/design We are conducting a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oxytocin-enhanced motivational interviewing group therapy (MIGT). Oxytocin or placebo 40 IU is administered intranasally in conjunction with six, weekly MIGT sessions. We will recruit 50 MSM, initiating treatment for MUD from specialized community health programs in San Francisco, CA, USA. Individuals will be randomized (1:1) to receive six, weekly sessions of MIGT with or without oxytocin. Our primary outcome is session attendance. Other outcomes of interest include: measures of group cohesion, anxiety, psychophysiology, and stimulant craving and use. Discussion This will be the first study of oxytocin’s effects in humans with MUD. Findings from this novel protocol will attempt to bridge existing animal data with the need for innovative clinical treatments for MUD, inform the growing field of pharmacologically-enhanced psychotherapy, and help to elucidate mechanisms behind oxytocin’s potential anti-addiction effects. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02881177. Registered on 26 August 2016.

Abstract Globally, there is limited knowledge about management and conservation of Callianassidae family. Their catches seem to be recently increasing in several parts of the world and evidences raise concern on the need of specialized literature focused on populations monitoring. At Southeast of Brazil, the species Callichirus major (Say 1818), known as the ghost shrimp, is frequently captured for use as bait in sport fishing and, according to previous studies, the overexploitation could threaten the population. The aim of this study was evaluated over a year this harmful human pressure on the species C. major in two beaches contiguous but susceptible to different anthropogenic impacts due to the existence of legislation on one beach that prohibits the capture of this crustacean. The population of C. major presented where the prohibition regulation does not exist a density almost three times lower when compared to the beach that prohibits the capture, with individuals with smaller carapace oval area and a shorter reproductive period. This paper alert to some evidence of C. major structure population disturbance resulting from its exploitation at Southeast of Brazil. Recommendations were also addressed to conservation management considering the species' ecological importance.

Conventional fluorescence sensing, despite its high sensitivity, is poorly suited for point-of-need applications due to the bulkiness and cost constraints of standard components. An urgent market demand exists for integrated, portable, and high-performance solutions. Here, an efficient and miniaturized fluorescence sensor is demonstrated by innovative integration on a single substrate of organic optoelectronic devices, such as an organic photodiode and an organic light-emitting diode, with a polymeric distributed Bragg reflector. Optical modeling of the 3D layout of integration of the three all-organic components allows maximizing the optical efficiency of the sensing system, which outperforms that of state-of-the-art miniaturized fluorescence sensors by two orders of magnitude. Accordingly, fluorescence signals from microfluidic volumes of Rhodamine 700 are detected by the sensor over a wide range of dye concentrations, ranging from 10−3 M to 10−6 M. The optimized exploitation of the angular dependence of the distributed Bragg reflector filter characteristics provides a remarkable reduction of the undesired optical signal of excitation. As a result, a significant increase of the signal-to-noise ratio allows for halving the detection limit of Rhodamine 700 down to 9.2 μM, thus demonstrating the possible implementation of such innovative integrated detection scheme for biodiagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dans les poèmes de jeunesse et les premiers recueils de Salvatore Quasimodo, le fanciullo est décrit comme un enfant de Dieu, un messager des étoiles systématiquement associé à des éléments témoignant de son rapport privilégié à l’invisible. On ne peut l’envisager sans prendre en considération l’influence fondamentale du très fervent Giorgio La Pira, ami et confident de Quasimodo, à qui ce dernier dédie le poème qui constitue leur manifeste d’un « être fanciullo », « Il fanciullo canuto ». Bien plus qu’un simple motif littéraire, l’enfant se révèle être, dans les poèmes de l’un et les lettres de l’autre, la métaphore d’une condition existentielle, l’expression d’un idéal de vie et une « révélation de l’Indicible ». Avatar du faible, de l’humble, du vagabond ou du mendiant, le fanciullo est l’être dont le « linguaggio canuto » donne accès au « dono sublime di saper parlare al cuore dell’uomo ».

Salvatore Quasimodo entretient avec le paysage méditerranéen un rapport intime et viscéral. Ses premiers recueils donnent à voir la projection identitaire du « je » lyrique dans l’histoire et les mythes d’un monde gréco-romain sublimé et perçu par un prisme panthéiste. Mais ce pays rêvé ne résiste pas à l’irruption du réel provoquée par le choc de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. On assiste dès lors à une déréliction de ce paysage édénique, mise en scène métaphorique du désarroi du poète. L’espace est alors décrit dans toute sa matérialité, sa violence et son étrangeté. Ce n’est qu’au sein de son dernier recueil, Dare e avere, que l’on perçoit un nouveau tournant dans le rapport du poète au paysage. Celui-ci est désormais universalisé et chargé d’une dimension eschatologique. Vécu comme le prolongement de la conscience poétique, il en garantit la pérennité et, par là même, la plénitude.