showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Nutritional Status and Selected Adipokines in Children with Irritable Bowel Syndrome
2022
Background: The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status and serum concentrations of adipokines in children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and healthy controls. We also sought to evaluate their relation to metabolic parameters. Methods: We studied 33 IBS patients (11 girls, 22 boys) aged 5–17 years and 30 healthy age-matched controls (11 girls, 19 boys). The analysis included anthropometric measurements, body composition parameter measurements using bioimpedance, and biochemical tests and measurements of serum concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, chemerin, and omentin-1. Results: The results of the anthropometric measurements were comparable between the patients and the…
Endothelial Dysfunction and Chronic Inflammation: The Cornerstones of Vascular Alterations in Age-Related Diseases
2022
Vascular diseases of the elderly are a topic of enormous interest in clinical practice, as they have great epidemiological significance and lead to ever-increasing healthcare expenditures. The mechanisms underlying these pathologies have been increasingly characterized over the years. It has emerged that endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation play a diriment role among the most relevant pathophysiological mechanisms. As one can easily imagine, various processes occur during aging, and several pathways undergo irreversible alterations that can promote the decline and aberrations that trigger the diseases above. Endothelial dysfunction and aging of circulating and resident cells are…
Deep Reinforcement Learning with Omnidirectional Images: application to UAV Navigation in Forests
2022
Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) is highly efficient for solving complex tasks such as drone obstacle avoidance using cameras. However, these methods are often limited by the camera perception capabilities. In this paper, we demonstrate that point-goal navigation performances can be improved by using cameras with a wider Field-Of-View (FOV). To this end, we present a DRL solution based on equirectangular images and demonstrates its relevance, especially compared to its perspective version. Several visual modalities are compared: ground truth depth, RGB, and depth directly estimated from these 360°R GB images using Deep Learning methods. Next, we propose a spherical adaptation to take into …
A Novel Peptide with Antifungal Activity from Red Swamp Crayfish Procambarus clarkii
2022
The defense system of freshwater crayfish Procambarus clarkii as a diversified source of bioactive molecules with antimicrobial properties was studied. Antimicrobial activity of two polypeptide-enriched extracts obtained from hemocytes and hemolymph of P. clarkii were assessed against Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) bacteria and toward the yeast Candida albicans. The two peptide fractions showed interesting MIC values (ranging from 11 to 700 μg/mL) against all tested pathogens. Polypeptide-enriched extracts were further investigated using a high-resolution mass spectrometry and database search and 14 n…
Predicting an unstable tear film through artificial intelligence
2022
AbstractDry eye disease is one of the most common ophthalmological complaints and is defined by a loss of tear film homeostasis. Establishing a diagnosis can be time-consuming, resource demanding and unpleasant for the patient. In this pilot study, we retrospectively included clinical data from 431 patients with dry eye disease examined in the Norwegian Dry Eye Clinic to evaluate how artificial intelligence algorithms perform on clinical data related to dry eye disease. The data was processed and subjected to numerous machine learning classification algorithms with the aim to predict decreased tear film break-up time. Moreover, feature selection techniques (information gain and information …
DEUTEROKATECHUMENALNA KATECHEZA MŁODZIEŻY W UJĘCIU SŁUGI BOŻEGO KS. FRANCISZKA BLACHNICKIEGO
2022
Artykuł jest próbą ukazania deuterokatechumenalnej koncepcji katechezy młodzieżowej w ujęciu sługi Bożego ks. Franciszka Blachnickiego. Ta oryginalna i rodzima propozycja kerygmatycznej odnowy katechezy jest cennym wkładem w rozwój pedagogiki katolickiej w Polsce. Ze względu na ścisły związek z ideałami soborowej deklaracji o wychowaniu chrześcijańskim, jednocześnie realizuje dzieło inicjacji, wychowania i nauczania, a skupiając się na spotkaniu z Bogiem i człowiekiem w Biblii i sakramentach Kościoła, jest głęboko związana z parafią i jej życiem liturgicznym. Posiada wszystkie cechy pojęcia rozumianego jako systemowe uporządkowanie poznania rzeczywistości edukacyjnej, czyli nieustannej peda…
Estimating Tree Health Decline Caused by Ips typographus L. from UAS RGB Images Using a Deep One-Stage Object Detection Neural Network
2022
Various biotic and abiotic stresses are causing decline in forest health globally. Presently, one of the major biotic stress agents in Europe is the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) which is increasingly causing widespread tree mortality in northern latitudes as a consequence of the warming climate. Remote sensing using unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) together with evolving machine learning techniques provide a powerful tool for fast-response monitoring of forest health. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of a deep one-stage object detection neural network in the detection of damage by I. typographus in Norway spruce trees using UAS RGB images. A Scaled…
Teaching Early Mathematical Skills to 3- to 7-Year-Old Children — Differences Related to Mathematical Skill Category, Children’s Age Group and Teache…
2022
Abstract This study explored teaching early mathematical skills to 3- to 7-year-old children in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and pre-primary education. Teachers in ECEC (N = 206) answered a web survey. The first aim was to determine whether teaching frequency or pedagogical awareness of teaching early mathematical skills varied according to the category of skills (numerical skills, spatial thinking skills and mathematical thinking and reasoning skills) and whether children’s age group moderated these differences. The second aim was to explore to what extent teacher-related characteristics and children’s age group explained variations in teaching frequency concerning early mathe…
Impact of Urinary Incontinence on Physical Function and Respiratory Muscle Strength in Incontinent Women : A Comparative Study between Urinary Incont…
2022
Patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) may be afraid to increase intra-abdominal pressure to avoid incontinence. This could lead to weak expiratory muscles. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between respiratory muscle strength, physical function, and SUI in patients with SUI. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Physical Medicine and Functional Rehabilitation Department. Thirty-one incontinent women (IG) and twenty-nine women in a control group (CG) were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric data, respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory pressure; maximal expiratory pressure), SUI (Urogenital Distress Inventory-6; Incontinence Impact Question…
Bioarchaeology of Human Remains in Sicily: Laws and Guidelines
2022
The Human Embalming Project© team is currently focusing on the study of Sicilian archival documents and human bioarchaeological material. In the best spirit of the Code of Conduct of the Paleopathology Association, we would like to share information on the laws and guidelines applied in Sicily with a broader readership of colleagues.
A Cu-BOX catalysed enantioselective Mukaiyama-aldol reaction with difluorinated silyl enol ethers and acylpyridine
2022
A Cu(II)/BOX complex catalyses the enantioselective addition of difluorinated silyl enol ethers to acylpyridine N-oxides. The reaction provides difluorinated chiral tertiary alcohols of great interest in medicinal chemistry. These compounds are obtained in moderate to excellent yields and with high enantioselectivities. The stereochemical outcome of the reaction has been explained by DFT calculations.
DIELECTRIC AND PIEZOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF 0.8Na0.5 Bi0.5 TiO3-0.2BaTiO3 MODIFIED WITH SODIUM NIOBATE
2022
This work was supported by the Research Council of Lithuania (Project S-LLT-20-4). This work has been supported by Mutual Funds Taiwan–Latvia– Lithuania Cooperation Project Application LV-LT-TW/2020/10.
Managing in Writing: Recommendations from Textual Patterns in Managers’ Email Communication
2022
This study draws from personality psychology and linguistics of written communication to explore the characteristics of self-selected well-written email communications (N=273) solicited from Polish managers who organized and supervised the (remote) work of their units during the COVID-19 period. The focus is on the writing of managers with above-average levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness, as these personality factors are predictors of efficacy in the completion of two work-related goals, Achievement and Communion, according to the Theory of Purposeful Work Behavior. The linguistic patterns responsible for effective email communication are identified through both automated and qu…
Early Effects of No-Till Use on Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.): Productivity and Soil Functioning Vary between Two Contrasting Mediterranean Soils
2022
The diffusion of no-tillage (NT) is to be encouraged because of the benefits it can provide in terms of improving soil fertility and counteracting global warming and climate change as part of climate-smart agriculture practices. However, the introduction of this management can be difficult, especially in the first years of application, and can lead to unpredictable yield results depending on the soil type. Therefore, the aim of this experiment was to evaluate the early effect of NT use, compared to the conventional mouldboard ploughing (CT), on two different soils, a clay-loam (GAL) and a sandy-clay-loam soil (SMA), by monitoring a set of 43 different soil and plant variables that were expe…
Catholic Religious Practices Questionnaire (CRPQ): Construction and Analysis of Psychometric Properties
2022
Members of the Catholic Church express their faith in a variety of manners, in general with a focus on liturgical and popular forms of piety. This article provided construction and initial validation for a brief questionnaire to measure Catholic religious practices. The authors used Sample 1 (n = 219) for exploratory factor analysis and Sample 2 (n = 181) for confirmatory factor analysis and to test the validity of a new scale. A model with two factors with five items each provided a good fit. The Catholic Religious Practices Questionnaire (CRPQ) consists of two subscales: official religiosity and folk practices. Both exhibit positive though varying correlations with the Centrality of Relig…
Long-Term Domiciliary High-Flow Nasal Therapy in Patients with Bronchiectasis: A Preliminary Retrospective Observational Case-Control Study
2022
High-flow nasal therapy (HFNT) provides several pathophysiological benefits in chronic respiratory disorders. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of long-term HFNT in patients with bronchiectasis (BE). Methods: This is a retrospective bicentric case-control study of outpatients with BE on optimized medical treatment with a severe exacerbation requiring hospitalization in the previous year. Patients on long-term home HFNT (cases) and patients on optimized medical treatment alone (controls) were matched by age, sex, bronchiectasis severity index, and exacerbations in the previous year. Data on BE exacerbations, hospitalizations/year, mucus features, respiratory symptoms, and pulmonary func…
Mikä muuttui 20 vuoden aikana? : Pohdintaa ikääntyvän puoliso-omaishoitajan asemasta ja kotiin saatavasta tuesta
2022
publishedVersion Non peer reviewed
Persistent Organic Pollutants and Fatty Acid Profile in a Typical Cheese from Extensive Farms: First Assessment of Human Exposure by Dietary Intake
2022
Dairy products represent an important source of beneficial substances for humans. At the same time, they can expose the consumers to environmental contaminants ingested by animals through their diet, influencing their health negatively. This experiment aims to evaluate the risk and benefits related to the consumption of typical stretched cheeses, considering their fatty acid (FA) profile and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) content. Six representative farms, two of them organic, raising Cinisara cattle were selected, considering the typical extensive management systems, based on feeding of natural pasture integrated with concentrate and hay depending on the availability of forage on pas…
Iäkkäiden ihmisten ja eläkeikäisten vapaaehtoistyöntekijöiden kokemuksia kanssakäymisestä vapaaehtoistyössä
2022
Kotona asumista korostavan hoivapolitiikan seurauksena on paljon iäkkäitä henkilöitä, jotka eivät pääse ulos kodistaan ilman apua. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan huonokuntoisten iäkkäiden ihmisten ja eläkeikäisten vapaaehtoistyöntekijöiden kokemuksia keskinäisestä kanssakäymisestään vapaaehtoistyöhön perustuvalla toimintajaksolla. Vapaaehtoistyöntekijät auttoivat kodin ulkopuolisiin aktiviteetteihin yksin asuvia iäkkäitä ihmisiä, joilla oli liikkumiskyvyn ongelmia. Tutkimuksessa oli mukana viisi iäkkään ihmisen ja eläkeikäisen vapaaehtoistyöntekijän muodostamaa paria. Tutkimusaineisto koostui iäkkäiden (79–87-vuotiaiden) ihmisten ja vapaaehtoistyöntekijöiden (61–71-vuotiaiden) yksilöhaastattel…
Availability of extractives from various Norway spruce (Picea abies) stumps assortments
2022
Stumps and knotwood of Norway spruce (Picea abies) are valuable sources of wood extractives. Although lignans from knotwood have already been utilized in value-added products, the behavior and valorization of stump-derived extractives are less studied. In this study, the composition of lipophilic and hydrophilic extractives, particularly lignans, from various spruce stump samples (stump bottom, stump heart, and crushed stump samples) stored outside were studied. Lipophilic and hydrophilic extracts were separated with an accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) apparatus using n-hexane and hot water, respectively. The detailed extractives content of samples was then determined by gas chromatogra…
Women's Health and Gynecology: Old Challenges and New Insights.
2022
The complexity of women’s health goes far beyond medical and surgical knowledge and the achievements of the clinical specialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology, spanning not just the research dimensions of molecular biology, genetics, epidemiology, or health services but also being influenced by gender, social, and psychological relevant factors [...]
Engineered Ferritin with Eu3+ as a Bright Nanovector: A Photoluminescence Study
2022
Ferritin nanoparticles play many important roles in theranostic and bioengineering applications and have been successfully used as nanovectors for the targeted delivery of drugs due to their ability to specifically bind the transferrin receptor (TfR1, or CD71). They can be either genetically or chemically modified for encapsulating therapeutics or probes in their inner cavity. Here, we analyzed a new engineered ferritin nanoparticle, made of the H chain mouse ferritin (HFt) fused with a specific lanthanide binding tag (LBT). The HFt-LBT has one high affinity lanthanide binding site per each of the 24 subunits and a tryptophane residue within the tag that acts as an antenna able to transfer …
Data Analytics in Healthcare: A Tertiary Study
2022
AbstractThe field of healthcare has seen a rapid increase in the applications of data analytics during the last decades. By utilizing different data analytic solutions, healthcare areas such as medical image analysis, disease recognition, outbreak monitoring, and clinical decision support have been automated to various degrees. Consequently, the intersection of healthcare and data analytics has received scientific attention to the point of numerous secondary studies. We analyze studies on healthcare data analytics, and provide a wide overview of the subject. This is a tertiary study, i.e., a systematic review of systematic reviews. We identified 45 systematic secondary studies on data analy…
The awareness and acceptance of anti-COVID 19 vaccination in adolescence
2022
Abstract Background COVID-19 had devastating effects on children’s and adolescents’ life, including neuropsychological impairment, discontinuation of social life and education. Since June 2021, antiCOVID19 vaccination has become available to adolescents in Italy up to 12 years and since December 2021 to children aged more than 5 years. The pediatric population represents a challenging target for vaccination. Aim of the study is to perform a survey among adolescents to explore factors associated with COVID 19 immunization and their perceptions about COVID-19 vaccines. Methods Italian students aged 10–17 years were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey regarding their immunizat…
Challenges in Marketing Communications During the COVID-19 Pandemic
2022
The purpose of this study is to explore how tourism and hospitality firms managed marketing communications (marcom) since the COVID-19 outbreak and to propose a conceptual framework on marcom challenges that the pandemic crisis has brought to the industry. In-depth interviews were conducted with tourism and hospitality managers in Croatia, a destination that registered remarkable tourism results in 2021. The proposed conceptual framework reflects the adaptation process and major changes in B2B and B2C communication since the COVID-19 outbreak on one hand and resulting strategic opportunities for marcom managers on the other, discussed in terms of practical implications. To the best of the a…
Supplementary material 1 from: Bartolucci F, Domina G, Adorni M, Andreatta S, Angiolini C, Bacchetta G, Banfi E, Barberis D, Bertani G, Bonari G, Buc…
2022
Supplementary data
Novel qutrit circuit design for multiplexer, De-multiplexer, and decoder
2022
AbstractDesigning conventional circuits present many challenges, including minimizing internal power dissipation. An approach to overcoming this problem is utilizing quantum technology, which has attracted significant attention as an alternative to Nanoscale CMOS technology. The reduction of energy dissipation makes quantum circuits an up-and-coming emerging technology. Ternary logic can potentially diminish the quantum circuit width, which is currently a limitation in quantum technologies. Using qutrit instead of qubit could play an essential role in the future of quantum computing. First, we propose two approaches for quantum ternary decoder circuit in this context. Then, we propose a qua…
The Experiences and Views on Palliative Care of Older People with Multimorbidities, Their Family Caregivers and Professionals in a Spanish Hospital
2022
The increasing prevalence of complex chronic diseases in the population over 65 years of age is causing a major impact on health systems. This study aims to explore the needs and preferences of the multimorbid patient and carers to improve the palliative care received. The perspective of professionals who work with this profile of patients was also taken into account. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Separate topic guides were developed for patients, careers and health professionals. We included 12 patients, 11 caregivers and 16 health professionals in Spain. The results showed multiple unmet needs of patients and families/caregiv…
The ‘Dying’ Bourbon Dynasty: The Diplomatic Role of the Spanish Monarchy in the Long Nineteenth Century
2022
Abstract This article explores one of the main arenas in which change came over the role of the monarchy as part of Europe's transition to a modern political system: diplomacy. Traditionally, there had been a dual aspect to monarchy that merged dynastic and state interests. The creation of modern constitutional political systems in the nineteenth century forced European crowns to modify their prerogatives and effective power, sharing this with elected politicians. This included foreign policy, which thenceforward pursued national interests that did not always agree with dynastic ones. Focusing on the Spanish branch of the house of Bourbon, I examine this involved and controversial process. …
Muistisairauden aiheuttamat käyttäytymisen muutokset ja parisuhteen vastavuoroisuus
2022
Muistisairauksiin usein liittyvät kognitiiviset ja persoonallisuuden muutokset sekä itseilmaisun vaikeudet saattavat ilmetä käyttäytymisen muutoksina. Puoliso ja muut läheiset kohtaavat nämä muutokset ensimmäisinä. Laadullisessa tutkimuksessamme selvitimme, millaisissa tilanteissa muistisairauden aiheuttamia ongelmallisina ja kielteisinä koettuja käyttäytymisen muutoksia ilmaantuu, ja miten ne vaikuttavat parisuhteen vastavuoroisuuteen. Käyttäytymisen muutoksista käytetään termiä ’käytösoireet’. Aineiston analyysissä hyödynsimme sosiaalisen vaihdon teoriaa. Käyttäytymisen muutokset tulivat puheeksi vain niissä haastatteluissa, joissa muistisairautta sairastava puoliso oli aviomies. Vaikka p…
Psychosocial Predictors of Drop-Out from Organised Sport: A Prospective Study in Adolescent Soccer.
2022
In recent years an increased drop-out rate in adolescents’ soccer participation has been observed. Given the potentially adverse consequences of drop-out from soccer, more information about risk factors for drop-out is warranted. In the current study, Classification and Regression Tree (CRT) analysis was used to investigate demographic and motivational factors associated with an increased risk of drop-out from adolescent soccer. The results of this study indicate that older age, experiencing less autonomy support from the coach, less intrinsic motivation, being female, and lower socioeconomic status are factors associated with an increased risk of drop-out. An interpretation of the results …
"Dynamical Docking" of Cyclic Dinuclear Au(I) Bis-N-heterocyclic Complexes Facilitates Their Binding to G-Quadruplexes.
2022
With the aim to improve the design of metal complexes as stabilizers of noncanonical DNA secondary structures, namely, G-quadruplexes (G4s), a series of cyclic dinuclear Au(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes based on xanthine and benzimidazole ligands has been synthesized and characterized by various methods, including X-ray diffraction. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and CD DNA melting assays unraveled the compounds’ stabilization properties toward G4s of different topologies of physiological relevance. Initial structure–activity relationships have been identified and recognize the family of xanthine derivatives as those more selective toward G4s versus duplex DNA. The bind…
Females’ customer engagement with eco-friendly restaurants in Instagram: the role of past visits
2022
Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effect on the customer brand engagement (CBE) of followers of an eco-friendly restaurant of their perceptions of the originality of the firm-generated content posted online by the restaurant and the effect of CBE on brand advocacy and behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant, paying special attention to the moderating role of past visits to the restaurant. Design/methodology/approach The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling with a sample of 491 female Instagram users who follow the online account of a particular eco-friendly dining establishment. Two group comparisons were conducted to test the moderating effec…
Toward the Decarbonization of Plastic: Monopolymer Blend of Virgin and Recycled Bio-Based, Biodegradable Polymer.
2022
Decarbonization of plastics is based on two main pillars: bio-based polymers and recycling. Mechanical recycling of biodegradable polymers could improve the social, economic and environmental impact of the use of these materials. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate whether concentrations of the same recycled biopolymer could significantly affect the rheological and mechanical properties of biodegradable monopolymer blends. Monopolymer blends are blends made of the same polymers, virgin and recycled. A sample of commercially available biodegradable blend was reprocessed in a single-screw extruder until two extrusion cycles were completed. These samples were exposed to gr…
Proof-of-Principle Direct Measurement of Particle Statistical Phase
2022
The symmetrization postulate in quantum mechanics is formally reflected in the appearance of an exchange phase governing the symmetry of identical-particle global states under particle swapping. Many indirect measurements of this fundamental phase have been reported thus far, but a direct observation has been achieved only recently for photons. Here, we propose a general scheme capable of directly measuring the exchange phase of any type of particle (bosons, fermions, or anyons), exploiting the operational framework of spatially localized operations and classical communication. We experimentally implement it on an all-optical platform, providing a proof of principle for different simulated …
Naisten asiantuntemuksen saaminen näkyviin vaatii konkreettisia tekoja
2022
Pääkirjoitus 4/2023