Effects Of Different Relations Research Articles

The Role of Zr on Monoclinic and Orthorhombic HfxZryO2 Systems: A First-Principles Study.

HfO2 shows different polymorphs, including monoclinic and orthorhombic ones, that exhibit singular properties. Moreover, the character of HfO2 is also influenced by the Zr atoms as a doping agent. Here, an extensive study of the monoclinic P21/c and the orthorhombic Pca21 polymorphs of HfO2, Hf0.75Zr0.25O2, and Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 is reported. For all six systems, density functional theory (DFT) methods based on generalized gradient approximations (GGAs) were first used; then the GGA + U method was settled and calibrated to describe the electrical and optical properties of polymorphs and the responses to the oxygen vacancies. Zr had different effects in relation to the polymorph; moreover, the amount of Zr led to important differences in the optical properties of the Pca21 polymorph. Finally, oxygen vacancies were investigated, showing an important modulation of the properties of HfxZryO2 nanostructures. The combined GGA and GGA + U methods adopted in this work generate a reasonable prediction of the physicochemical properties of o- and m-HfxZryO2, identifying the effects of doping phenomena.

New Insights in the Control of Fat Homeostasis: The Role of Neurotensin.

Neurotensin (NT) is a small peptide with pleiotropic functions, exerting its primary actions by controlling food intake and energy balance. The first evidence of an involvement of NT in metabolism came from studies on the central nervous system and brain circuits, where NT acts as a neurotransmitter, producing different effects in relation to the specific region involved. Moreover, newer interesting chapters on peripheral NT and metabolism have emerged since the first studies on the NT-mediated regulation of gut lipid absorption and fat homeostasis. Intriguingly, NT enhances fat absorption from the gut lumen in the presence of food with a high fat content, and this action may explain the strong association between high circulating levels of pro-NT, the NT stable precursor, and the increased incidence of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer observed in large population studies. This review aims to provide a synthetic overview of the main regulatory effects of NT on several biological pathways, particularly those involving energy balance, and will focus on new evidence on the role of NT in controlling fat homeostasis, thus influencing the risk of unfavorable cardio–metabolic outcomes and overall mortality in humans.

The status of heavy metals in arable soils of contrasting texture treated by biochar – an experiment from Slovakia

Worldwide, many soils are impacted by degradation processes, which impose a risk to sustainable food production. There is a pressing need to limit these negative impact constraints to sustain the proper functioning of the soil-biota system and soil productivity. Biochar can be a nature-friendly solution for soil remediation; however, knowledge is incomplete in many aspects in this field, like the potential of biochar and biochar-based products as agents to immobilize toxic substances, including heavy metals (HMs) found in the soil. In this study, we investigated the effect of two biochar substrates (BSs) (1. biochar blended with farmyard manure as BS1, and 2. biochar blended with farmyard manure and digestate as BS2) at rates of 10 and 20 t ha−1 applied without or with fertilization (BS + F) on the immobilization of HMs in texturally different soils (1. sandy Arenosol, 2. loamy Chernozem, Slovakia). The results showed that application of BS had different effects in relation to soil textures. In sandy soil, BS improved soil properties, such as cation exchange capacity (an increase from 20 to 93%), soil organic carbon content (SOC) (an increase from 3 to 26%) and humic substances (HSs) stability (an increase from 12 to 20%). In loamy soil, SOC increased due to BS and BS + F in the range 3–19% and 12–55%, respectively. In both soils, the total content of HMs did not exceed the threshold limits for individual soils after BS and BS + F application. In sandy soil, the immobilization of HMs was due to a higher SOC content and a fulvic acids (FAs) content, while in loamy soil their elimination depended on a higher available phosphorus content.

Pricing in Two Competing Supply Chains Based on Market Power and Market Size under Centralized and Decentralized Structures

In this paper, we considered the competition between two multi-echelon supply chains with identical structures on price under two market power structures. For this purpose, we developed two different scenarios. In the first scenario, both supply chains decided simultaneously (the Nash game). In the second scenario, due to the imbalance of power between the two supply chains, we adopted the Stackelberg game in the model. Price equilibrium is obviously obtained through the Game Theory. The paper investigated the effects of different relations between the market sizes of supply chains and the supply chain structures on price and profit along with the analysis of power in the market. Based on these assumptions, it was found that the supply chains did not always involve the second-mover advantage in the price Stackelberg game. Furthermore, having the centralized structure, both of the supply chains benefited from presence of a leader in the market for different combinations of market size. Finally, we presented significant managerial insights for the market with two competitive supply chains when the structures were similar. Moreover, the relationship between price and profit was analyzed given the size of the market in different scenarios rather than through provision of numerical examples.

Economic Crisis and Social Trust: Reviewing the Effects of Economic Hardship on Interpersonal and Institutional Confidence

The economic crisis of 2008 led to a significant erosion of trust in those countries that were hit hardest. However, whether this fall in trust can best be explained by external economic factors or by the lack of response on the part of the institutions to civic needs and demands is unclear. This study seeks to address this question by examining the specific case of Spain. Its aim is to analyse in comparison with other factors, the effect of increasing socioeconomic precariousness upon levels of interpersonal and institutional trust. The study examines the respective impact of these factors upon different social groups according to their degree of exposure to the effects of the crisis. Our results show that the deterioration suffered by household economies has important consequences in terms of interpersonal trust. Those most severely affected by the recession lose a great deal of trust in others. We also find that a deterioration in socioeconomic conditions has different effects in relation to institutional trust. The perception of the overall state of the economy is important for all types of institutional trust. Without calling into question the importance of institutional performance on levels of institutional trust, our research sheds new light on the importance of different economic factors for social cohesion.

Exposure to bisphenol A and gender differences: from rodents to humans evidences and hypothesis about the health effects

Bisphenol A (BPA) interacts with the endocrine system and seems to produce different effects in relation to gender. The objective of the study was to clarify the possible health effects of exposure to BPA in relation to gender. A literature search was performed using three different search engines: Medline, PubMed and Scopus. Data on both animals and humans showed that BPA acts as a xenoestrogen and interacts with the androgens’ metabolism, producing different outcomes: uterotropic effects, decreasing sperm production, stimulation of prolactin release. Gender difference plays a key role in understanding the real toxic effects, the BPA serum concentrations were, all the time, higher in male subjects, possibly due to the difference in androgen-related enzyme activity levels, compared with the healthly female subjects, to equal levels of exposure; while higher BPA levels in women have been associated with a variety of conditions including obesity, endometrial hyperplasia, recurrent miscarriages, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. The data collected are sufficiently robust to raise concerns about the potentially deleterious impact of BPA on humans, even with some methodological limitations; the different impact of BPA in men and in women is documented and of a certain interest. In toxicology it is necessary to assess effects in relation to gender differences, in order to set up prevention plans in the work environment targeting the specific risk.

Severe drought events increase the sensitivity to ozone on poplar clones

An open-top chamber experiment has been carried out at the facilities of Curno (North Italy), in June–August 2009, to assess the response to ozone in two poplar clones Populus maximowiczii Henry×P. berolinensis Dippel (Oxford clone, OX), and Populus nigra “Jean Pourtet” (JP) in concomitance of severe drought events. Three different water regimes were applied: W – Well Watered Control: field capacity; D1 – Drought Treatment 1: field capacity until begin July, then reduced water availability (plants were then subjected to severe drought events); D2 – Drought Treatment 2: constant water shortage (plants were then subjected to severe drought events). Leaf water potential, gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence (JIP-test) were assessed every 2 weeks; growth parameters and stable isotope composition (δ13C and δ18O) were measured at the end of the experiment. The main results were: (i) drought, but not ozone, reduced photosynthesis and growth and increased δ13C; (ii) the two clones showed different strategies to cope with ozone stress: JP shed the damaged leaves, whereas OX maintained their leaves ozone provoked the loss of leaves in W plants of the JP clone; (iii) in the D1 plants the response to drought provokes an additional effects with the effect of ozone absorbed before the severe drought events; (iv) D2 plants did not respond to ozone until the last event, when a clear synergistic effect between the two stressors was observed. We conclude that ozone had different effects in relation to the way the drought stress was applied. These results are discussed for their ecological consequence on vegetation in field conditions.

PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS AND ANTIOXIDANT POWER IN MINIMALLY PROCESSED SALAD

ABSTRACT Phenolic content and antioxidant power of Lactuca sativa var. capitata (L.), Cichorium indivia var. latifolium (L.) and Eruca sativa (Mill.) were determined in fresh-cut products during storage at 4C. In fresh-cut leaves, storage did not affect the antioxidant power in escarole, whereas after 24 h, lettuce exhibited a transient rise in ferric-reducing antioxidant power value (+50%), which was associated with increased phenol content. In rocket salad, the antioxidant power increased significantly just 1 h after cutting. The major phenols determined in escarole and lettuce hydroxycinnamic derivatives were chlorogenic acid, di-caffeoylquinic and caffeoyltartaric acids, which increased significantly in fresh-cut products of both species during storage. In rocket salad, only hydroxycinnamic and kaempferol derivates were found, and their content was not influenced by processing and storage even if it is probably related to the higher antioxidant power found for this species. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Many phenolic compounds are antioxidants that may contribute to reduce human diseases (e.g., cancer and heart diseases). The beneficial effects of a diet rich in vegetables have been partially attributed to an increased consumption of phenols with high antioxidant capacity. Processing vegetables (e.g., salad) for minimally processed products influences the antioxidant capacity of the tissues with different effects in relation to the species used.

Gabapentin-induced modulation of interictal epileptiform activity related to different vigilance levels

Objectives: Gabapentin (GBP) is a novel antiepileptic drug (AED), currently used as add-on therapy in patients with partial seizures. Similar to other AEDs, little is known about its effects on nocturnal sleep, despite the strict relationship between sleep and epileptic discharges. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of chronic therapy with GBP on both nocturnal sleep and on interictal epileptiform abnormalities (IEA) in relation to the different sleep stages. Methods: Eighteen patients affected by partial seizures resistant to common AEDs were submitted to nocturnal polygraphic recordings under baseline conditions and after 4 months of add-on GBP treatment. Results: We observed a significant increase in unilateral/focal IEA during light NREM sleep and a significant reduction in bilateral/diffuse IEA during wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO) with respect to the baseline condition. A significant increase in REM sleep and slow wave sleep (SWS) associated with a reduction in the number of awakenings and Stage 1 was also observed after GBP chronic therapy. Conclusions: GBP therapy improves the sleep pattern of epileptic patients and it seems to modulate the expression of IEA with different effects in relation to the various vigilance levels.