Oltre l’emergenza Covid. Visioni e prospettive d’azione

2021

Questo servizio riconduce a sistema alcune tra le più significative prospettive di riflessione teorica e relative ricadute sul piano della prassi che si sono avviate in Italia nell'ultimo anno, nel tentativo di superare alcune retoriche sul ritorno alla normalità che sembrano permeare discorsi, narrazioni e proposte operative per il post-pandemia. Un quadro composito di interventi in grado di delineare future agende di ricerca e di proporre per le città e i territori un progetto di futuro differente.

Regulation data for the horizontal jump of children and adolescents

2021

The Horizontal Jump (HJ) is a daily tool that could be used to categorize the level of muscle fitness performance of the lower limbs. The goal was to compare the muscle fitness with those of international studies and to propose percentiles to assess the HJ performance of children and adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total number of 3023 children and adolescents between the ages of 6.0 to 17.9 were studied. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC), and lower limb muscle fitness were evaluated. The student HJ performance values in Chile were inferior when compared to HJ performance in Brazil, Poland and Europe. For the Greek study, differences occurred only from age 6 to …

Study on consumer preferences for quality attributes of fig fruit after storage at room temperature

2021

Fig (Ficus carica L.) is a nutritious fruit, rich in fiber, potassium, calcium, and iron. It is an important source of vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants and phenolic compounds that contribute to a healthy diet. In addition to Asian countries, fig is cultivated in the Mediterranean basin, where quality fruit has been produced since ancient times. Sicily in southern Italy traditionally cultivated ‘San Giovanni’ figs, but fig consumption has decreased. This cultivar is very interesting for its intrinsic qualities and its appreciation after storage by consumers could help its commercialization. The objective of this study is to know consumer preferences for quality attributes of ‘San Giovanni…

Lessons learned on student engagement from the nature of pervasive socio‐digital interests and related network participation of adolescents

2021

The rise of modern socio-digital technologies has fundamentally changed the everyday environments in which young people communicate with each other and cultivate interests. To gain a more sophisticated understanding of this phenomenon, this study provides in-depth, qualitative insights into adolescents’ experiences of their socio-digital developmental ecologies. The 15 interview participants were recruited based on a previously conducted questionnaire. The semi-structured theme interview addressed the socio-digital aspects of the participants’ interest-driven behaviours and related networks with the aid of participant-generated egocentric maps. The data not only qualitatively enrich the pic…

Respuesta a “Fumador, exfumador y COVID-19”

2021

Evaluation of a rapid antigen test (Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag rapid test device) for SARS-CoV-2 detection in asymptomatic close contacts of COVID-19 patien…

2021

Objectives There is limited information on the performance of rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests to identify SARS-CoV-2-infected asymptomatic individuals. In this field study, we evaluated the Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test Device (Abbott Diagnostics, Jena, Germany) for this purpose. Methods A total of 634 individuals (355 female; median age, 37 years; range, 9–87) were enrolled. Two nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from household (n = 338) and non-household contacts (n = 296) of COVID-19 cases. RAD testing was carried out at the point of care. The RT-PCR test used was the TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA). Results Household contacts were tested at a median …

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2021

Aging and diabetes lead to protein glycation and cause dysfunction of collagen-containing tissues. The accompanying structural and functional changes of collagen significantly contribute to the development of various pathological malformations affecting the skin, blood vessels, and nerves, causing a number of complications, increasing disability risks and threat to life. In fact, no methods of non-invasive assessment of glycation and associated metabolic processes in biotissues or prediction of possible skin complications, e.g., ulcers, currently exist for endocrinologists and clinical diagnosis. In this publication, utilizing emerging photonics-based technology, innovative solutions in mac…

Psychological Profile in Female Cyclists and Its Relationship with Age, Training Parameters, Sport Performance, and Injury Incidence.

2021

Previous studies have highlighted the importance of psychology on sports performance and its relationship with the incidence of sport injuries. The objectives of the present investigation were: (1) to analyze the psychological profile of female cyclists as a function of age, training parameters, sport performance, and injuries suffered and (2) to design a model to predict their psychological profile. Sixty-one female cyclists participated in the study. Differences were found as a function of a competitive category for team cohesion (F = 5.035

Managing skunkworks to achieve ambidexterity: The Robinson Crusoe effect

2021

Abstract Literature on ambidexterity emphasizes the need for both exploration and exploitation. Large firms usually choose to implement structural ambidexterity to separate both activities. We here focus on an extreme case of such structural partitioning implemented as a secret skunkworks project in a large French automotive company. A qualitative survey using both primary and secondary data shows that the major basic and initial characteristics of a skunkworks (i.e. secrecy, urgency, and autonomy) created favorable conditions for the technological exploration. However, exploitation failed due to precisely those same characteristics coupled with the fact that the project did not respond to …

Le dialogue avec les parties prenantes dans l’exercice de la RSE : caractéristiques clés pour une prise de parole collective et effective

2021

National audience; Des appels à un changement radicale des modes de production accentuent la responsabilité sociale des entreprises. Cette notion de responsabilité longtemps affiliée à la satisfaction des seuls actionnaires est aujourd’hui tournée vers d’autres acteurs tout aussi exigeants, au-delà des frontières de l’entreprise. La responsabilité sociale de l’entreprise se traduit par une pression omniprésente qui contraint les entreprises à s’adapter. Cette adaptation passe par l’intégration des préoccupations liées à l’environnement, aux questions sociales et sociétales dans la conduite de leurs activités (Gond et ali., 2011 : 121). Elle passe aussi par la prise en compte de l’ensemble d…

Caring for People With Dementia Under COVID-19 Restrictions: A Pilot Study on Family Caregivers

2021

IntroductionThe present pilot study examined to what extent the COVID-19 lockdown affected the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in people with dementia and worsened their family caregivers’ distress. The associations between changes in the BPSD of relatives with dementia (RwD) and in their caregivers’ distress, and sense of social and emotional loneliness, and resilience were also investigated.Materials and MethodsThirty-five caregivers of RwD attending formal healthcare services before the COVID-19 lockdown volunteered for the study, and were interviewed by phone during the lockdown. Caregivers completed the NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI) to assess their care reci…

Nesting of the Spotless Starling, Sturnus unicolor, on the island of Favignana (Aegadian Islands, Sicily)

2021

The presence of the Spotless Starling in Sicily was reported for the first time at the beginning of the XIX century, although the first nests for the province of Trapani are reported almost at the end of the XX century. As a breeder, the Spotless Starling remained absent from all the circumsicilian islands until the first report for the island of Pantelleria, in 2012. In 2020, the nest of Spotless Starling was observed on the island of Favignana, within a hole on an antenna. The couple fed the chicks with Ligia italica crustacean isopod of the family Ligiidae. The nesting on the island of Favignana confirms the continuous expansion of the species in Sicily

Adherence to dietary treatment and clinical factors associated with anti-transglutaminase antibodies in celiac disease during the follow-up

2021

Introduction In clinical practice, celiac disease (CD) is monitored through anti-transglutaminase (TGA-IgA) antibody levels. The normalization of serum levels in successive periodic measurements indicates good response and adherence to dietary treatment. Objectives To evaluate the factors associated with the evolution of TGA-IgA antibodies and their association with dietary non-compliance and diseases related to CD. Methods This prospective observational study was carried out in 254 participants, who were recruited from patients from a hospital in southern Spain. Information about sex, age, serological test results, HLA DQ2/DQ8 haplotypes, mucosal atrophy, gastrointestinal and extra-intesti…

Anything but Ordinary - Emerging Splicing Mechanisms in Eukaryotic Gene Regulation.

2021

Splicing of precursor mRNAs (pre-mRNA) is an important step during eukaryotic gene expression. The identification of the actual splice sites and the proper removal of introns are essential for the production of the desired mRNA isoforms and their encoded proteins. While the basic mechanisms of splicing regulation are well understood, recent work has uncovered a growing number of noncanonical splicing mechanisms that play key roles in the regulation of gene expression. In this review, we summarize the current principles of splicing regulation, including the impact of cis and trans regulatory elements, as well as the influence of chromatin structure, transcription, and RNA modifications. We f…

Einfluss von THC auf die Glukoseaufnahme und den zellulären Energiestatus im Rattenhirn und auf die Impulskontrolle

2021

Integrated use of unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning to support archaeological analysis: The Acropolis of Selinunt…

2021

Southwestern Sicily is an area of infrequent seismic activity; however, some studies carried out in the archaeological Selinunte site suggest that, between the fourth century BC and the early Middle Ages, probably at least two earthquakes strucked this area with enough energy to damage and cause the collapse and kinematics of much of the architecture of Selinunte. Take into account that, in 2008, a noninvasive archaeological prospection and traditional data gathering methods along the Acropolis north fortifications were carried out. Following these first studies, after about 10 years, a new geophysical campaign was carried out. This second campaign benefited from the application of modern t…

Vitamin D Sources, Metabolism, and Deficiency: Available Compounds and Guidelines for Its Treatment

2021

Studies on vitamin/hormone D deficiency have received a vast amount of attention in recent years, particularly concerning recommendations, guidelines, and treatments. Moreover, vitamin D’s role as a hormone has been confirmed in various enzymatic, metabolic, physiological, and pathophysiological processes related to many organs and systems in the human body. This growing interest is mostly due to the evidence that modest-to-severe vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent around the world. There is broad agreement that optimal vitamin D status is necessary for bones, muscles, and one’s general health, as well as for the efficacy of antiresorptive and anabolic bone-forming treatments. Food su…

Long-term persistence, invariant time scales and on-off intermittency of fog events

2021

Abstract In this work we study different characteristics of fog long-term persistence, in events with different physical formation mechanisms. Specifically, we focus on the characterization of fog long-term persistence from observational data, by means of a Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) of its associated low-visibility time series. We analyze fog events with radiation and orographic underlying physical formation mechanisms, and identify a two-range pattern of long-term persistence. Our analysis leads to the emergence of a characteristic time, τ∗, at the crossover point between different scaling exponents in the DFA, independent of the time scale at which the fog event is studied. We …

Conceptualization of Digital Competence

2021

The aim of the present research is to study the essence, structure, implementation, and indicators of the concept of the digital transversal competence of university students for its improvement in the study process. This article includes the relevance of transversal competences and the essence of the concept of digital competence. This concept is then developed, the methodology of digital competence assessment and measurement is adapted, and the content analysis method was used to classify and analyze the expression of digital competence in eight professional areas.

Comparative study of the environmental footprints of marinas on European Islands

2021

AbstractPorts have been key elements in Europe's economic development. This situation is even more relevant on islands, which are highly dependent on the maritime sector. Consequently, over the years, ports with diverse functionalities have been established both in mainland Europe and on its outlying islands. This article discusses the environmental impact of leisure marinas on European islands, especially as they are closely linked to economic development through tourism. The aim is to study the environmental impact of these infrastructures by determining the carbon and water footprints of marinas on European islands in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The results obtained enable the au…

Clinical History and Detectable Troponin Concentrations below the 99th Percentile for Risk Stratification of Patients with Chest Pain and First Norma…

2021

Decision-making is challenging in patients with chest pain and normal high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT

Relationship between physical activity and predicted home presenteeism among participants with depressive symptoms with and without clinical depressi…

2021

Background and objectives Depression can pose a major threat to an individual’s ability to cope with daily activities. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between physical activity (PA) and predicted home presenteeism (PHP) among depressive participants. The relationship between PHP and the severity of depressive symptoms was also investigated. Methods A total of 760 participants with depressive symptoms (DS) aged ≥35 years participated in this study. The study was conducted between 2008 and 2016 in municipalities within the Central Finland Hospital District. DS were determined with the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21) with a cutoff score ≥10, and psychiatric dia…

A Decision-Tree Approach to Assist in Forecasting the Outcomes of the Neonatal Brain Injury

2021

Neonatal brain injury or neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is a significant morbidity and mortality factor in preterm and full-term newborns. NE has an incidence in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 per 1000 live births carrying a considerable burden for neurological outcomes such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, cognitive impairments, and hydrocephaly. Many scoring systems based on different risk factor combinations in regression models have been proposed to predict abnormal outcomes. Birthweight, gestational age, Apgar scores, pH, ultrasound and MRI biomarkers, seizures onset, EEG pattern, and seizure duration were the most referred predictors in the literature. Our study proposes a decision-tree approach b…

Treatment of Lenalidomide Exposed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma: Network Meta-Analysis of Lenalidomide-Sparing Regimens.

2021

Over the past 10 years, the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) dramatically changed due to the introduction of a number of new agents and combination regimens both in the frontline and in the relapsed/refractory setting. Currently, at least 11 classes of therapeutic agents, including steroids, alkylators (melphalan and cyclophosphamide), proteasome inhibitors (PI: bortezomib, carfilzomib, ixazomib), immunomodulatory agents (thalidomide, lenalidomide, pomalidomide), monoclonal antibodies (mAbs: elotuzumab, daratumumab), HDAC-inhibitors (panobinostat), BCL2 inhibitors (venetoclax), selective inhibitors of nuclear export (selinexor), drug-conjugated mAbs (belantamab mafodotin), bispecific agen…

Cutaneous manifestations associated with anosmia, ageusia and enteritis in SARS-CoV-2 infection - a possible pattern? Observational study and review …

2021

BACKGROUND: The cutaneous manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been covered insufficiently in the literature. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients admitted to the study hospital with confirmed COVID-19 who experienced various skin manifestations during hospitalization or in the convalescence period, were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients with COVID-19, admitted to the study hospital between 23 March and 12 September 2020, had intra-infectious rash or lesions of cutaneous vasculitis during convalescence. The most common cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 were erythematous and erythematous papular rash. Twenty-seven of the 39 patients had anosmia (69.2%)…

Active biopackaging produced from by‐products and waste from food and marine industries

2021

The agro‐food industry cannot today do without packaging to preserve and above all market its products. Plastic materials coming mainly from petrochemicals have taken a predominant place in the food packaging sector. They have become indispensable in many sectors, from fresh to frozen products, from meat and dairy products to fruit and vegetables or almost‐ready meals. Plastics are cheap, their lightness reduces transport costs, and their convenience is fundamental for out‐of‐home catering. However, plastics pose serious end‐of‐life issues. The development of materials that are more respectful of the consumer and the environment has become a major issue. In addition, the agro‐food industrie…

Prevalence and 30-Day Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With Covid-19 and Prior Lung Diseases.

2021

Patients with pre-existing respiratory diseases in the setting of COVID-19 may have a greater risk of severe complications and even death.A retrospective, multicenter, cohort study with 5847 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals. Patients were separated in two groups, with/without previous lung disease. Evaluation of factors associated with survival and secondary composite end-point such as ICU admission and respiratory support, were explored.1,271 patients (22%) had a previous lung disease, mostly COPD. All-cause mortality occurred in 376 patients with lung disease (29.5%) and in 819 patients without (17.9%) (Previous lung disease is a risk factor for mortality in patients with COVID-19.…

A one step enhanced extraction and encapsulation system of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) polyphenols and iridoids with β-cyclodextrin

2021

Abstract The objective of this study was simultaneous extraction and encapsulation of cornelian cherry active principles. As an encapsulating agent, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was used to enhance the ultrasound-assisted extraction of cornelian cherry polyphenols and iridoids. Lyophilized cornelian cherry fruit was extracted by four different solvents: pure water, 50% aqueous ethanol (conventional system), 1.5% β-CD water solution and 1.5% β-CD aqueous ethanol solution. The highest enhancement of the extraction efficiency was observed for flavonoids and anthocyanins, especially for cyaniding 3-galactoside and pelargonidin 3-galactoside. Water-ethanolic extract was used to form inclusion complexes…

Loneliness and its relation to mental health in the general population: Validation and norm values of a brief measure

2021

Abstract Background Loneliness has been increasingly recognized as an important determinant of mental health. The purposes of this study were to (1) determine the degree of loneliness of women and men across different age groups, (2) explore its association with distress, (3) psychometrically evaluate the Three-Item Loneliness Scale, (4) provide norm values. Methods The Three-Item Loneliness Scale was applied in a representative survey of the German population (N=2527; 14–95 years). Standardized scales were used measuring distress (depression and anxiety symptoms, perceived stress, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, fatigue, life satisfaction). Factor structure and measurement invariance acro…

Mechanistic study of the biosynthesis of R-phenylcarbinol by acetohydroxyacid synthase enzyme using hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simu…

2021

Abstract The biosynthesis of R-phenylacetylcarbinol (R-PAC) by the acetohydroxy acid synthase, (AHAS) is addressed by molecular dynamics simulations (MD), hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM), and QM/MM free energy calculations. The results show the reaction starts with the nucleophilic attack of the C2α atom of the HEThDP intermediate on the Cβ atom of the carbonyl group of benzaldehyde substrate via the formation of a transition state (TS1) with the HEThDP intermediate under 4′-aminopyrimidium (APH+) form. The calculated activation free energy for this step is 17.4 kcal mol−1 at 27 °C. From this point, the reaction continues with the abstraction of Hβ atom of the HEThDP in…

End-of-life and waste management of disposable beverage cups.

2021

Different human activities have caused and currently cause catastrophic environmental phenomena, and unfortunately, a significant negative contribution to these catastrophic phenomena can be attributed to uncontrolled plastic production, use and release everywhere. On the other hand, the plastics offer numerous comforts and advantages, and for this reason, the modern life is unthinkable without plastic. Currently, numerous scientific papers and large audience advertisings, related to the production and use of polymers made by natural sources, i.e. bio-based polymers, as a valid alternative to the petroleum-based counterparts, have been published. Therefore, for production of daily disposabl…

Including Ratio of Platelets to Liver Stiffness Improves Accuracy of Screening for Esophageal Varices That Require Treatment

2021

International audience; Background & aims: Based on platelets and liver stiffness measurements, the Baveno VI criteria (B6C), the expanded B6C (EB6C), and the ANTICIPATE score can be used to rule out varices needing treatment (VNT) in patients with compensated chronic liver disease. We aimed to improve these tests by including data on the ratio of platelets to liver stiffness.Methods: In a retrospective analysis of data from 10 study populations, collected from 2004 through 2018, we randomly assigned data from 2368 patients with chronic liver disease of different etiologies to a derivation population (n = 1579; 15.1% with VNT, 50.2% with viral hepatitis, 28.9% with nonalcoholic fatty liver …

From Microorganism-Based Amperometric Biosensors towards Microbial Fuel Cells

2021

This review focuses on the overview of microbial amperometric biosensors and microbial biofuel cells (MFC) and shows how very similar principles are applied for the design of both types of these bioelectronics-based devices. Most microorganism-based amperometric biosensors show poor specificity, but this drawback can be exploited in the design of microbial biofuel cells because this enables them to consume wider range of chemical fuels. The efficiency of the charge transfer is among the most challenging and critical issues during the development of any kind of biofuel cell. In most cases, particular redox mediators and nanomaterials are applied for the facilitation of charge transfer from a…

Credit and financial markets in the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the Middle Ages. Historiographic production and recent developments

2021

El artículo examina la trayectoria de los estudios sobre el crédito y los mercados financieros en la Península Ibérica a finales de la Edad Media, desde los primeros trabajos sobre la usura y el préstamo a interés, fundamentalmente judío, en la primera mitad del siglo XX, hasta las líneas de investigación más recientes, que se ramifican en diversas direcciones, desde el marco teórico, doctrinal y legal del mercado del crédito y el estudio de los diferentes instrumentos financieros –préstamo a interés, crédito comercial y bancario, crédito a largo plazo en forma de censales y censos consignativos– a la deuda pública y el crédito privado, especialmente el crédito rural. Todos estos estudios m…

Oxidative Stress and Rare Diseases: From Molecular Crossroads to Therapeutic Avenues.

2021

Writing an editorial about rare diseases can become a messy subject from the biological perspective [...]

Independent friction-restitution approach to analyze anomalies in normal kinematic restitution in oblique impact

2021

Abstract Oblique impact between rigid bodies is usually described in terms of the coefficients of normal and tangential restitution. When the contact between bodies occurs under elasto-plastic conditions, the normal coefficient of restitution can be ordinarily taken as essentially constant. Several anomalous results reported by Louge and Adams (Anomalous behavior of normal kinematic restitution in the oblique impacts of a hard sphere on an elasto-plastic plate. Phys. Rev. E 65 (2002) 021303), however denoted a significant variation of this coefficient with the incidence angle under certain conditions. This anomalous behavior is interpreted here within the independent friction and restitutio…