Open research Europe最新文献

This article is aimed at providing a solid empirical basis which can inspire the development of more informed strategies in the field of prevention of undocumented forms of migration across the Mediterranean. Besides, more traditional forms of human smuggling and trafficking, a new phenomenon has emerged especially along the Central Mediterranean route, i.e. trafficking in itinere, which affects people who had originally sought irregular travel services but then ended up in being kidnapped, tortured and kept in detention centres during their migratory path. Therefore, their irregular journey to Europe becomes the only way to survive. The methodology adopted draws from in-depth interviews with experts in Italy - especially prosecutors, law enforcements officers, representatives of NGOs and journalists -, the analysis of institutional reports and sources, as well as biographical accounts provided by migrants. The analysis critically addresses the countereffects produced by the hardening of borders and militarisation of sea routes in the Mediterranean area especially in terms of enhancement of the smuggling industry, increased human rights violations and clandestinization of migrants whose experiences and knowledge are too often underrepresented or misrepresented in the public debate. This results in a negative impact on migration policy-making and on the adoption of more effective measures aimed at addressing the governance of borders and the reception system in the EU. In conclusion, some recommendations are made, which call for a reconsideration of the distinction between economic and political migrants, an enhancement of the right to migrate which can guarantee safer forms of mobility toward the EU, a serious reconsideration of the politics of externalization of European borders with its extremely severe costs in terms of human rights, and a stronger valorisation of migrants' actual needs, expectations and projects in the design of more effective policies aimed at improving the overall EU reception system.

Background: Dictyostelia are soil amoebas that aggregate to form fruiting bodies with spores and stalk cells in response to starvation. Where known, species across the dictyostelid phylogeny use secreted cAMP, detected by cAMP receptors (cARs) to induce the differentiation of spores and to organize fruiting body construction. However, recent deletion of the single cAR of Polyspondylium violaceum (Pvio) left both its fruiting bodies and spores intact.

Methods: To investigate whether Pvio sporulation can occur in the absence of secreted cAMP and to explore alternative inducers in a bioassay , three prespore genes were identified and gene fusions of their promoters with the LacZ reporter gene were transformed into Pvio cells. After assessing the spatial expression pattern of the genes and the stage at which prespore gene expression initiated, the effect of cAMP and other Dictyostelium discoideum ( Ddis) signal molecules were tested on prespore gene expression in vitro.

Results: Pvio genes g4562 (psp1), g2696 (psp2) and g2380 (psp3) were identified as homologs of Ddis spore coat genes. They were first expressed around 4 h of starvation in aggregation centres and later in the posterior 4/5 ^th of emerging sorogens and the spore head of early fruiting bodies. Cells from dissociated 4 h aggregates and shaken in suspension for 6 h increased prespore- LacZ reporter activity 4-fold for psp1 and 6-fold for psp2, but this increase was at least 5-fold higher when cells were plated on solid substratum for 6 h to develop normally. cAMP had no effect on prespore gene induction and neither had the Pvio chemoattractant glorin nor the Ddis chemoattractants and differentiation inducers folate, c-di-GMP, DIF-1, GABA, cGMP and 8Br-cAMP.

Conclusions: The Pvio lineage uniquely evolved a novel genetic network for synthesis, detection and processing of the signal that triggers its main survival strategy.

Background: Elastic deformations of gravitating cylindrical bodies are relevant for state-of-the-art photonic experiments, as they affect the physical properties of materials under consideration, impacting wave propagation. This is of key importance for a recently planned experiment to explore the influence of the gravitational field on entangled photons propagating in waveguides. The purpose of this work is to determine these elastic deformations as functions of temperature, pressure, and of the gravitational field. We thus determine the deformations of the body due to changes of the gravitational field, and obtain stringent bounds on the control of temperature and pressure so that the effects of the associated elastic deformations on the photons propagating in a waveguide are smaller than the phase shifts associated with the change of the gravitational field.

Methods: We use the methods of linear elasticity, including thermoelasticity, to determine the stresses and strains of the medium. For this, the symmetry of the cylinder allows us to solve the problem by using Mitchell's solutions of the equations satisfied by the Airy functions. The boundary conditions are implemented by an approximation of the Hertz contact method.

Results: We calculate the displacements, the stresses and strains for several classes of boundary conditions, and give explicit solutions for a number of physically motivated configurations. The influence of the resulting deformations on the planned GRAVITES experiment is determined.

Conclusions: The results are relevant for fiber interferometry experiments sensitive to the effects of the gravitational field on photon propagation. Our calculations give stringent bounds on the environmental variables, which need to be controlled in such experiments.

Existing steel frames not complying with modern seismic codes are often vulnerable to earthquakes due to inadequate seismic detailing. These types of framed structures typically feature semi-rigid and partial strength column-base connections; the behaviour of such connections may significantly affect their seismic performance. However, current code provisions offer limited guidance for the assessment and retrofit of column-base connections To fill the knowledge gap, the H2020 EU-funded Earthquake Assessment of Base-Column Connections in Existing Steel Frames project experimentally investigated, the response of exposed column-base plate connections. Bi-directional Pseudo-Dynamic tests were carried out at the Structures Laboratory of the University of Patras within the framework of "Engineering Research Infrastructures for European Synergies - ERIES" project. The case-study steel frame featured two types of column-base plate connections, i.e., stiffened and unstiffened, representing respectively the base connections of an external moment-resisting frame and an internal gravity frame. The experimental programme comprised free vibration tests to identify the modal properties of the sample steel frame. A set of quasi-static cyclic tests and pseudo-dynamic tests were then carried out to investigate the performance of the steel frame under bi-directional earthquake sequences. The response of each component constituting the column-base plate connections was monitored during the tests to fully capture the behaviour of the connections. Such experimental results allow model calibration and further parametric investigation on column base plate connections.

Background: Problematic Hypersexuality (PH) is defined as a distress caused by hypersexuality, to the extent that seeking treatment is considered. PH was previously measured with instruments stemming from different perspectives on problems related to hypersexuality. These instruments might best be analyzed in unison to discover the most optimal set of characteristics to measure PH.

Methods: A total of 58 items were investigated with Item Response Theory (IRT). We included 1211 participants (592 women, 618 men, 1 other) from a representative Dutch general population sample of 18 years or older. In addition, 371 participants (116 women, 253 men, 2 other) in a web-based survey who sought information on their current level of PH were included. This latter group was divided into those that did or did not consider treatment and group differences in item averages were assessed.

Results: After item selection, 26 out of 58 items were retained and divided in two scales: Emotion Dysregulation-PH - 9 items representing the distressing emotional patterns coinciding with hypersexual preoccupation - and Negative Effects-PH - 17 items representing the negative consequences of patterns of hypersexual thoughts and behavior. Assumptions for IRT analyses were met (unidimensionality, local independence and monotonicity). After an IRT graded response model was fit, the scales showed sufficient reliability for the target population of hypersexual individuals. In the general population the scales showed large floor effects and were less reliable.

Conclusions: With this study a first step is taken in validating two complementary item banks to measure PH. Further development of the item banks should include the investigation of responsiveness. New items should be constructed to assess less-explored areas of PH and improve differentiating power of the scales. This study showed that diagnostic accuracy for PH is currently difficult to attain with a survey, even when using an extended item set representing the most unique characteristics of PH.

Social inequality impacts health, is aggravated by the consequences of climate change, and may be influenced by inappropriate policy responses. These interdependent effects create a self-perpetuating loop exacerbating the impact of climate dysregulation on health in an uncontrolled and poorly understood way. Holistic approaches to public health such as One Health, EcoHealth or Planetary Health are well suited to tackling the considerable and complex environmental and social issues underlying climate dysregulation. However, the extent to which research using such frameworks investigates social determinants of health is not clear. In this paper we discuss the ways in which the social environment has so far been considered in the literature to problematize and analyze the relationship between climate dysregulation and health within holistic frameworks and provide tools and recommendations to facilitate their apprehension. Social factors are investigated empirically only in a minor fraction of studies addressing the relation between climate and health in holistic frameworks, and not systematically. Barriers to such approaches are discussed. This work also provides two analytical tools (a process diagram and a knowledge framework) and a set of recommendations to help include the social environment more meaningfully in such frameworks. They are meant to facilitate our understanding of the current status of this type of research and to encourage trans-disciplinary and trans-sectorial endeavors towards directions which need to be taken to ensure societal factors and inequalities are placed at the center of research on climate and health and the ensuing policy response.

Background: Due to the huge amounts of their production in Europe, their environmental impact, and the difficulty in processing them, there is a clear necessity for the valorization of rainbow trout viscera. Considering that the production of fishmeal with viscera can be problematic, and in order to make viscera more profitable, the production of fish protein hydrolysates has been considered. Although silage and enzymatic hydrolysis are the most common methods for obtaining hydrolysates, autolysis has emerged as an alternative method that uses endogenous enzymes of the viscera.

Methods: Considering the stability and characteristics of the enzymes, a factorial design was carried out using three variables: pH, temperature, and water content. The design resulted in 15 experiments, and the results were analyzed using response surface methodology. The optimum parameters were validated by comparing the predicted outcomes with experimental results. Additionally, a kinetics study was conducted to shorten the autolysis time. Results from autolysis were compared with those from silage and enzymatic hydrolysis in a previous study.

Results: The optimal conditions for achieving the highest degree of hydrolysis and yield of free amino acids (FAAs) per 100 g of viscera and per total protein were determined to be a pH of 8, a temperature of 40 °C, and a water content of 6.85%. The pH and content of the added water were found to be significant variables during autolysis ( p < 0.05). The kinetic study showed that 7 h was still required to be effective.

Conclusions: Autolysis achieved a lower degree of hydrolysis than silage; however, as it solubilized more protein, the global yield of free amino acids per 100 g of viscera was slightly higher. It was concluded that endogenous alkaline proteases could be used in an autolytic process to obtain a free amino acid-rich hydrolysate from trout viscera.

Background: Finding appropriate model parameters for multi-compartmental neuron models can be challenging. Parameters such as the leak and axial conductance are not always directly derivable from neuron observations but are crucial for replicating desired observations. The objective of this study is to replicate the attenuation behavior of an excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) traveling along a linear chain of compartments on the analog BrainScaleS-2 neuromorphic hardware platform.

Methods: In the present publication we use genetic algorithms to find suitable model parameters. They promise parameterization without domain knowledge of the neuromorphic substrate or underlying neuron model. To validate the results of the genetic algorithms, a comprehensive grid search was conducted. Furthermore, trial-to-trial variations in the analog system are counteracted utilizing spike-triggered averaging.

Results and conclusions: The algorithm successfully replicated the desired EPSP attenuation behavior in both single and multi-objective searches illustrating the applicability of genetic algorithms to parameterize analog neuromorphic hardware.

Ab initio electronic structure applications are among the most widely used in High-Performance Computing (HPC), and the eigenvalue problem is often their main computational bottleneck. This article presents our initial efforts in porting these codes to a RISC-V prototype platform leveraging a wide Vector Processing Unit (VPU). Our software tester is based on a mini-app extracted from the ELPA eigensolver library. The user-space emulator Vehave and a RISC-V vector architecture implemented on an FPGA were tested. Metrics from both systems and different vectorisation strategies were extracted, ranging from the simplest and most portable one (using autovectorisation and assisting this by fusing loops in the code) to the more complex one (using intrinsics). We observed a progressive reduction in the number of vectorised instructions, executed instructions and computing cycles with the different methodologies, which will lead to a substantial speed-up in the calculations. The obtained outcomes are crucial in advancing the porting of computational materials and molecular science codes to (post)-exascale architectures using RISC-V-based technologies fully developed within the EU. Our evaluation also provides valuable feedback for hardware designers, engineers and compiler developers, making this use case pivotal for co-design efforts.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is the most frequent pregnancy-related medical issue and presents significant risks to both maternal and foetal health, requiring monitoring and management during pregnancy. The prevalence of GDM has surged globally in recent years, mirroring the rise in diabetes and obesity rates. Estimated to affect from 5% to 25% of pregnancies, GDM impacts approximately 21 million live births annually, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). However, consensus on diagnostic approaches remains elusive, with varying recommendations from international organizations, which makes the comparison between research complicated. Compounding concerns are the short-term and long-term complications stemming from GDM for mothers and offspring. Maternal outcomes include heightened cardiovascular risks and a notable 70% risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) within a decade postpartum. Despite this, research into the metabolic profiles associated with a previous GDM predisposing women to T2D remains limited. While genetic biomarkers have been identified, indicating the multifaceted nature of GDM involving hormonal changes, insulin resistance, and impaired insulin secretion, there remains a dearth of exploration into the enduring health implications for both mothers and their children. Furthermore, offspring born to mothers with GDM have been shown to face an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome during childhood and adolescence, with studies indicating a heightened risk ranging from 20% to 50%. This comprehensive review aims to critically assess the current landscape of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) research, focusing on its prevalence, diagnostic challenges, and health impacts on mothers and offspring. By examining state-of-the-art knowledge and identifying key knowledge gaps in the scientific literature, this review aims to highlight the multifaceted factors that have hindered a deeper understanding of GDM and its long-term consequences. Ultimately, this scholarly exploration seeks to promote further investigation into this critical area, improving health outcomes for mothers and their children.