showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Towards Positive Energy Districts: Energy Renovation of a Mediterranean District and Activation of Energy Flexibility
2023
The paper presents the analysis of energy retrofitting, integration of renewable energy and activation of energy flexibility in a cluster of buildings in the surroundings of a port on the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Italy, with the aim of checking the potential for it to achieve the status of positive energy district (PED). The objective of this study is to improve the contemporaneity between local energy generation and energy demand and reduce CO2eq emissions by considering signals that reflect the environmental variability of the electricity grid, through flexibility solutions applied to the HVAC system. The proposed scenarios are based on the dynamic simulation of the district and anal…
Eating behavior dimensions and 9-year weight loss maintenance : a sub-study of the Finnish Diabetes prevention study
2023
Abstract Background Behavioral processes through which lifestyle interventions influence risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2DM), e.g., body weight, are not well-understood. We examined whether changes in psychological dimensions of eating behavior during the first year of lifestyle intervention would mediate the effects of intervention on body weight during a 9-year period. Methods Middle-aged participants (38 men, 60 women) with overweight and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) were randomized to an intensive, individualized lifestyle intervention group (n = 51) or a control group (n = 47). At baseline and annually thereafter until nine years body weight was measured and the Three Factor Ea…
Multicomponent Antibiofilm Lipid Nanoparticles as Novel Platform to Ameliorate Resveratrol Properties: Preliminary Outcomes on Fibroblast Proliferati…
2023
The well-being of skin and mucous membranes is fundamental for the homeostasis of the body and thus it is imperative to treat any lesion quickly and correctly. In this view, polyphenols might assist and enhance a successful wound healing process by reducing the inflammatory cascade and the production of free radicals. However, they suffer from disadvantageous physico–chemical properties, leading to restricted clinical use. In this work, a complex mixture of PEGylated lipid, Glyceryl monoester, 18-β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid and Menthol was designed to entrap Resveratrol (RSV) as the active ingredient and further produce lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) by homogenization followed by high-freq…
A Rademacher type theorem for Hamiltonians H(x, p) and an application to absolute minimizers
2023
AbstractWe establish a Rademacher type theorem involving Hamiltonians H(x, p) under very weak conditions in both of Euclidean and Carnot-Carathéodory spaces. In particular, H(x, p) is assumed to be only measurable in the variable x, and to be quasiconvex and lower-semicontinuous in the variable p. Without the lower-semicontinuity in the variable p, we provide a counter example showing the failure of such a Rademacher type theorem. Moreover, by applying such a Rademacher type theorem we build up an existence result of absolute minimizers for the corresponding $$L^\infty $$ L ∞ -functional. These improve or extend several known results in the literature.
Hopelessness and burnout in Italian healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic: the mediating role of trait emotional intelligence
2023
Objective: The study aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers’ work-related stress during the first wave of the pandemic in Italy. The main objective is to investigate the existence of a positive correlation between hopelessness and burnout, assuming that burnout may be a riskfactor for the development of hopelessness, and to analyze the role thattrait Emotional Intelligence (TEI) and changes in workload could have in this relationship. Furthermore, evaluate any significant differences in burnoutand hopelessness levels in the function of some demographic variables, such as gender, professional profiles, and different working zones of Italy, tobetter understand how the di…
Satisfacción con la vida y religiosidad en adultos mayores en República Dominicana
2023
Tejada de Castillo, Ruth Elizabeth Tomás, José Manuel y Cerviño, Consuelo (directores) Facultad de Psicología Este documento es una tesis doctoral, creado en: 2023 Resumen La República Dominicana es considerada un país mayormente religioso y predomina la afiliación católica. El 75% de la población ha sido bautizada, pero solo el 57% se identifica como tal (Departamento de Estado, EEUU, 2015). Los cristianos evangélicos son la segunda confesión religiosa en importancia. La religión va de la mano de la cultura, es parte del proceso de socialización y está más arraigada en la población envejeciente. En el año 2025 las proyecciones estiman que la población dominicana mayor de 60 años alcanzará …
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEM) of a Customized Stent-Graft for Endovascular (EVAR) Treatment of Abdominal Aorti…
2023
Background: The treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is today commonly treated by inserting a stent-graft by the endovascular route, without resorting to open surgery. However, some clinical cases do not allow this less invasive approach, meaning that the stent-graft cannot be inserted and open surgery is used. Methods: In the study, we propose a fluid–structure interaction (FSI) analysis of an aneurysmatic aorta that could not be treated with Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR). The vessel is reconstructed through segmentation from CT scans and subsequently modeled on CAD software to create the surface and thickness of the vessel itself. Subsequently, we proceeded to carry out Comp…
Assisted Reproductive Techniques and Risk of Congenital Heart Diseases in Children: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
2023
AbstractInfertility is a growing phenomenon and leads to an increased use of assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). In recent years, concerns about the safety of these procedures emerged and ARTs were hypothesized to be a risk factor for developing congenital heart diseases (CHDs) in offspring. Our aim is to investigate the association between ART and CHD, specifying results according to various subtypes of defects. We performed a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis following the PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE and Google Scholar were searched from January 2011 to May 2022. Data about incidence of CHD in ART were tabulated and extracted from all the studies included. Twenty-four…
Exploring prenatal and neonatal life history through dental histology in infants from the Phoenician necropolis of Motya (7th–6th century BCE)
2023
The biological life history of infants from archaeological contexts can provide a unique insight into past human populations. Dental mineralized tissues contain a permanent record of their growth that can provide access to the prenatal and early infant life, and mortality, of human skeletons. This study focuses on the histomorphometric analysis of deciduous teeth from the ‘Archaic Necropolis’ of Motya (7th–6th century BCE, Sicily–Italy). The histomorphometric analysis is conducted on prenatal and postnatal enamel of eight anterior deciduous teeth from seven individuals from this Phoenician population to estimate their chronological age-at-death, health, and enamel growth parameters. Proteom…
The assessment of the potential hepatotoxicity of new drugs by in vitro metabolomics
2023
Drug hepatotoxicity assessment is a relevant issue both in the course of drug development as well as in the post marketing phase. The use of human relevant in vitro models in combination with powerful analytical methods (metabolomic analysis) is a promising approach to anticipate, as well as to understand and investigate the effects and mechanisms of drug hepatotoxicity in man. The metabolic profile analysis of biological liver models treated with hepatotoxins, as compared to that of those treated with non-hepatotoxic compounds, provides useful information for identifying disturbed cellular metabolic reactions, pathways, and networks. This can later be used to anticipate, as well to assess,…
Red-list of Italian bryophytes. 1. Liverworts and hornworts
2023
The objective of this study is to provide an updated conservation status of all liverworts and hornworts in the Italian territory, evaluated according to IUCN's Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional Level. Overall, 27.4% of taxa assessed in this study are assigned to a risk category and, therefore, considered threatened in Italy. Four liverworts are considered as Extinct, two liverworts and one hornwort Possibly Extinct at regional level. Moreover, a further 9.8% are assessed as Near Threatened, 10.8% as Data Deficient and 49.7% as Least Concern. Most threats are co-occurring, indicating that many taxa are subjected to a set of correlated adverse processes. The ma…
Kin selection in interactions between gametes: Gamete competition, gamete limitation, and sex allocation
2023
Kin selection on one hand, and gamete interactions in post-ejaculatory sexual selection on the other are two major research themes that have risen to prominence over the past half century and have simultaneously developed into central fields of research in evolutionary biology. There is a natural connection between the two: when gametes interact with each other, very commonly many of them originate from the same parent and are thus siblings. For example, sperm competition will almost always involve competition between sibling gametes even if the interacting parents are not related to each other. If parents are related to each other, the relatedness between gametes increases further. Here we…
The microbiome of the ice-capped Cayambe Volcanic Complex in Ecuador
2023
A major challenge in microbial ecology is to understand the principles and processes by which microbes associate and interact in community assemblages. Microbial communities in mountain glaciers are unique as first colonizers and nutrient enrichment drivers for downstream ecosystems. However, mountain glaciers have been distinctively sensitive to climate perturbations and have suffered a severe retreat over the past 40 years, compelling us to understand glacier ecosystems before their disappearance. This is the first study in an Andean glacier in Ecuador offering insights into the relationship of physicochemical variables and altitude on the diversity and structure of bacterial communities…
Relevance of β-delayed neutron data for reactor, nuclear physics and astrophysics applications
2023
Initially, yields (or abundances) and branching ratios of β-delayed neutrons (βdn) from fission products (Pn-values) have had their main importance in nuclear reactor control. At that time, the six-group mathematical approximation of the time-dependence of βdn-data in terms of the so-called "Keepin groups" was generally accepted. Later, with the development of high-resolution neutron spectroscopy, βdn data have provided important information on nuclear-structure properties at intermediate excitation energy in nuclei far from stability, as well as in nuclear astrophysics. In this paper, I will present some examples of the βdn-studies performed by the Kernchemie Mainz group during the past th…
Statin-induced autoimmune myositis: a proposal of an “experience-based” diagnostic algorithm from the analysis of 69 patients
2023
AbstractStatin-induced autoimmune myositis (SIAM) represents a rare clinical entity that can be triggered by prolonged statin treatment. Its pathogenetic substrate consists of an autoimmune-mediated mechanism, evidenced by the detection of antibodies directed against the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (anti-HMGCR Ab), the target enzyme of statin therapies. To facilitate the diagnosis of nuanced SIAM clinical cases, the present study proposes an “experience-based” diagnostic algorithm for SIAM. We have analyzed the clinical data of 69 patients diagnosed with SIAM. Sixty-seven patients have been collected from the 55 available and complete case records regarding SIAM in the l…
Ultrasound Parameters Can Accurately Predict the Risk of Malignancy in Patients with “Indeterminate TIR3b” Cytology Nodules: A Prospectiv…
2023
The increase in the incidence of thyroid nodules with cytological findings of TIR3b requires the identification of predictive factors of malignancy. We prospectively evaluated 2160 patients from January 2018 to June 2022 and enrolled 103 patients with indeterminate cytology TIR3b nodules who underwent total (73 patients) and hemi-thyroidectomy (30 patients). Among them, 61 had a histological diagnosis of malignancy (30 classic papillary thyroid carcinoma, 19 had follicular papillary thyroid carcinoma variant, 3 had Hurtle cell carcinoma and 9 had follicular thyroid carcinoma), while 42 had a benign histology. Clinical, ultrasonographic and cytological characteristics were recorded. In addit…
Robot’s Inner Speech Effects on Human Trust and Anthropomorphism
2023
AbstractInner Speech is an essential but also elusive human psychological process that refers to an everyday covert internal conversation with oneself. We argued that programming a robot with an overt self-talk system that simulates human inner speech could enhance both human trust and users’ perception of robot’s anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, intelligence and safety. For this reason, we planned a pre-test/post-test control group design. Participants were divided in two different groups, one experimental group and one control group. Participants in the experimental group interacted with the robot Pepper equipped with an over inner speech system whereas participants in the control …
Parental effects in a filamentous fungus : Phenotype, fitness and mechanism
2023
AbstractAdaptation to changing environments often requires meaningful phenotypic modifications to match the current conditions. However, obtaining information about the surroundings during an organism’s own lifetime may only permit accommodating relatively late developmental modifications. Therefore, it may be advantageous to rely on inter-generational or trans-generational cues that provide information about the environment as early as possible to allow development along an optimal trajectory. Transfer of information or resources across generations, known as parental effects, is well documented in animals and plants but not in other eukaryotes, such as fungi. Understanding parental effects…
Structural Parameters under Partial Least Squares and Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling : A Comment on Yuan and Deng (2021)
2023
In their article, Yuan and Deng argue that a structural parameter under partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is zero if and only if the same structural parameter is zero under covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). Yuan and Deng then conclude that statistical tests on individual structural parameters assessing the null hypothesis of no effect can achieve the same purpose in CB-SEM and PLS-SEM. Our response to their article highlights that the relationship they find between PLS-SEM and CB-SEM structural parameters is not universally valid, and that consequently, tests on individual parameters in CB-SEM and PLS-SEM generally do not fulfill the same pur…
Modulation of H-reflex and V-wave responses during dynamic balance perturbations
2023
AbstractMotoneuron excitability is possible to measure using H-reflex and V-wave responses. However, it is not known how the motor control is organized, how the H-reflex and V-wave responses modulate and how repeatable these are during dynamic balance perturbations. To assess the repeatability, 16 participants (8 men, 8 women) went through two, identical measurement sessions with ~ 48 h intervals, where maximal isometric plantar flexion (IMVC) and dynamic balance perturbations in horizontal, anterior–posterior direction were performed. Soleus muscle (SOL) neural modulation during balance perturbations were measured at 40, 70, 100 and 130 ms after ankle movement by using both H-reflex and V-…
Poetesse in accademia: il caso delle sorelle Bonanno tra gli Accesi di Palermo
2023
Il contributo analizza i sonetti di tre poetesse palermitane: Marta, Laura e Onofria Bonanno. I componimenti furono pubblicati all’interno del primo volume delle Rime dell’Accademia degli Accesi di Palermo nel 1571. Pur occupando uno spazio marginale nella raccolta, le poetesse si inseriscono a pieno titolo nello scambio di socievole conversazione attivato dalle rime di corrispondenza in stile petrarchista, dialogando con i principali membri dell’Accademia e rappresentando per essi un modello di femminilità virtuosa. La lode del cenacolo degli Accesi e il motivo spirituale ricorrono nei sonetti delle poetesse palermitane, caratterizzandosi come cifra stilistica e tematica della loro produzi…
Structural Manipulations of Marine Natural Products Inspire a New Library of 3-Amino-1,2,4-Triazine PDK Inhibitors Endowed with Antitumor Activity in…
2023
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the main aggressive types of cancer, characterized by late prognosis and drug resistance. Among the main factors sustaining PDAC progression, the alteration of cell metabolism has emerged to have a key role in PDAC cell proliferation, invasion, and resistance to standard chemotherapeutic agents. Taking into account all these factors and the urgency in evaluating novel options to treat PDAC, in the present work we reported the synthesis of a new series of indolyl-7-azaindolyl triazine compounds inspired by marine bis-indolyl alkaloids. We first assessed the ability of the new triazine compounds to inhibit the enzymatic activity of pyruvate de…
YES, WE COPE: Dyadic Coping as a Mediator Between Perceived Relationship Quality and Emotional Representation of COVID-19
2023
Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about social changes that have impacted the functioning and dynamics of couples in a romantic relationship, arising from the overwhelming amount of added stress they have endured. Specifically, the divorce rate in Portugal has increased after lockdown, which underscores the adverse consequences of COVID-19 on couples. A lower quality of the couple’s relationship may worsen the emotional representation of COVID-19; however, the literature suggests that perceived partner dyadic coping responses have a great influence on adverse events. The aim of the present study was to assess the mediating role of partner coping in the association betwee…
Consideraciones sobre la relación mente-cuerpo en el proceso del parto
2023
Analizo algunos aspectos clave del modelo médico del parto, centrándome especialmente en los presupuestos que parece albergar sobre la relación mente-cuerpo. En primer lugar, examino las visiones del modelo médico como un modelo dualista ontológico. En contra de las críticas habituales a este dualismo, que sostienen que ha llevado a tratar el cuerpo de parto como una máquina ¿rastreando, además, hasta Descartes el origen de este enfoque¿, defiendo que el problema no reside en el propio dualismo, sino en que se obvia la interacción mente-cuerpo: son las propias personas de parto quienes se tratan como máquinas. En segundo lugar, analizo la centralidad de la noción de riesgo en el modelo médi…
HIPEC for gynaecological malignancies: A last update (Review)
2023
Advanced-stage gynaecological cancer represents a clinical entity with challenging surgical treatment in an effort to optimize prognosis. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) following cytoreductive surgery (CRS) has been reported as a method potentially eligible to improve prognosis. However, no definitive conclusions have yet been made on which types of cancer and which context HIPEC may actually have a beneficial impact. The present review discusses the efficacy and safety of HIPEC as a treatment option for patients with primary/recurrent ovarian, endometrial and cervix cancer, as well as peritoneal sarcomatosis. A literature search was conducted using MeSH terms for each top…
„Berlin mitten im Herzen getroffen“ - Diskursive Opferkonstruktionen in parlamentarischen Debattenreden über Terrorismus in Deutschland
2023
Through their discursive actions, parliamentarians have an impact on the public perception of societal issues. Drawing on the Discourse-Historical Approach of Critical Discourse Studies this paper strives to illuminate how persons, objects, or abstract things are discursively constructed as victims. The debate speeches relate to two cases of terrorism: The National Socialist Underground (NSU) and the ISIS attack at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. After first identifying the types of victims in the data, the study then conducts a detailed analysis of the discursive resources that are used in the construction process. Furthermore, the victim constructions are interrogated in terms of their strate…
Influence of Sports Participation on the Behaviors of Customers of Sports Services: Linear and Qualitative Comparative Analysis Models
2023
Sports services have become an important enclave for our society. Due to its complete sports offer, customers can perform physical activity that helps them to improve their health and well-being. In fitness centers, managers try to know what their customers are looking for in order to create more personalized experiences, as well as to improve their health. This study seeks to understand the influence that sports frequency has on the future behavior of users of a sports center, using two complementary methodologies. A sample of 383 users of a private sports center was used. The two complementary methodologies used were linear models and comparative qualitative analysis, based on the combina…
Quantum correlations in dissipative gain–loss systems across exceptional points
2023
We investigate the behavior of correlations dynamics in a dissipative gain-loss system. First, we consider a setup made of two coupled lossy oscillators, with one of them subject to a local gain. This provides a more realistic platform to implement parity-time (PT) symmetry circumventing the implementation of a pure gain. We show how the qualitative dynamics of correlations resembles that for a pure-gain-loss setup. The major quantitative effect is that quantum correlations are reduced, while total ones are enhanced. Second, we study the behavior of these correlations across an exceptional point (EP) outside of the PT-symmetric regime of parameters, observing how different behaviors across …
Post-Publication Gatekeeping Factors and Practices: Data, Platforms, and Regulations in News Work
2023
The gatekeeping literature has turned to look at the factors and practices that shape gatekeeping in the post-publication environment, i.e., after news has entered circulation. This article adds to the discussion and argues that news workers share gatekeeping power in the post-publication environment with audiences, platforms, and regulations. Further, this study extends the post-publication gatekeeping framework and considers it in the context of datafication. The article aims to broadly understand how (audience) data is part of editorial decision-making in news media from news workers’ perceptions. The current study was conducted by interviewing news workers from three Finnish news organi…
Synthesis of N‐Monosubstituted Sulfondiimines by Metal‐free Iminations of Sulfiliminium Salts
2023
Sulfondiimines are marginalized entities among nitrogencontaining organosulfur compounds, despite offering promising properties for applications in various fields including medicinal and agrochemical. Herein, we present a metal-free and rapid synthetic procedure for the synthesis of N-monosubstituted sulfondiimines that overcomes current limitations in their synthetic accessibility. Particularly, S,S-dialkyl substrates, which are commonly difficult to convert by existing methods, react well with a combination of iodine, 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-en (DBU), and iminoiodanes (PhINR) in acetonitrile (MeCN) to furnish the corresponding sulfondiimines in yields up to 85% (25 examples). Valua…
Finnish Police Supervisors’ Conceptions of Workplace Learning and Its Sustainability
2023
Workplace learning (WPL) is a complex phenomenon involving the intertwined processes of working and learning. Recent studies have shown the importance of sustainable perspectives in WPL situations. In the literature, sustainable development is still predominantly referred to environmental, economic and social sustainability. In this study, sustainable perspectives denote the widespread use of previous knowledge, the rapid application of new knowledge and the effects of this knowledge on well-being, thus leaning on human sustainability. The purpose of this study is to examine conceptions of WPL among Finnish police supervisors and to reveal whether sustainable learning perspectives manifest.…
The Sound of Swarm. Auditory Description of Swarm Robotic Movements
2023
Movements of robots in a swarm can be mapped to sounds, highlighting the group behavior through the coordinated and simultaneous variations of musical parameters across time. The vice versa is also possible: sound parameters can be mapped to robotic motion parameters, giving instructions through sound. In this article, we first develop a theoretical framework to relate musical parameters such as pitch, timbre, loudness, and articulation (for each time) with robotic parameters such as position, identity, motor status, and sensor status. We propose a definition of musical spaces as Hilbert spaces, and musical paths between parameters as elements of bigroupoids, generalizing existing conceptio…
Constraining fragmentation functions through hadron-photon production at higher-orders
2023
In certain situations, such as one-particle inclusive processes, it is possible to model the hadronization through Fragmentation Functions (FFs), which are universal non-perturbative functions extracted from experimental data through advanced fitting techniques. Constraining the parameters of such fits is crucial to reduce the uncertainties, and provide reliable and accurate FFs. In this article, we explore strategies to relate pion and FFs for other hadrons (in particular, kaons), comparing cross-section ratios imposing proper kinematical cuts. We exploit the phenomenology of photon-hadron production at colliders, including up to NLO QCD and LO QED corrections, and make use of accurate for…
Riesz transform and vertical oscillation in the Heisenberg group
2023
We study the $L^{2}$-boundedness of the $3$-dimensional (Heisenberg) Riesz transform on intrinsic Lipschitz graphs in the first Heisenberg group $\mathbb{H}$. Inspired by the notion of vertical perimeter, recently defined and studied by Lafforgue, Naor, and Young, we first introduce new scale and translation invariant coefficients $\operatorname{osc}_{\Omega}(B(q,r))$. These coefficients quantify the vertical oscillation of a domain $\Omega \subset \mathbb{H}$ around a point $q \in \partial \Omega$, at scale $r > 0$. We then proceed to show that if $\Omega$ is a domain bounded by an intrinsic Lipschitz graph $\Gamma$, and $$\int_{0}^{\infty} \operatorname{osc}_{\Omega}(B(q,r)) \, \frac{dr}{…
Creating Implicit Measure Stimulus Sets Using a Multi-Step Piloting Method
2023
The effect of arbitrary stimulus selection is a persistent concern when employing implicit measures. The current study tests a data-driven multi-step procedure to create stimulus items using a combination of free-recall and survey data. Six sets of stimulus items were created, representing healthy food and high sugar items in children, adolescents, and adults. Selected items were highly representative of the target concepts, in frequent use, and of near equal length. Tests of the piloted items in two samples showed slightly higher implicit measure–behavior relations compared to a previously used measure, providing preliminary support for the value in empirically based stimulus selection. Fu…
Pedagogía política y drama escolar protestante. El Masaniello de Christian Weise
2023
La revuelta de Nápoles de 1647 encabezada por el pescador Tommaso Aniello (Masaniello) suscitó intensas reacciones en todo el continente europeo. A su vez, la reflexión sobre la política y la razón de Estado adquiría cada vez mayor relevancia a partir de la segunda mitad de siglo XVII. El campo literario no se quedó atrás y algunos intelectuales vieron en estos acontecimientos históricos la oportunidad para expandir sus modelos pedagógicos en los teatros escolares protestantes: el uso de la historia como método de enseñanza de la política, de la retórica y de la religión al mismo tiempo. Uno de estos autores fue Christian Weise (1642-1708) quien, tomando como fuente algunas de las crónicas …