showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Agrarian development and state building in Spain: the contest for irrigation in the Valencian Region, 1770–1860
2022
AbstractA determined expansion in the productive capacity of Spanish agriculture was a fundamental and contentious objective during the crisis of the country’s ancien régime and the formation of the liberal state, in the years of transition from the eighteenth to the nineteenth centuries. In this study we examine a fundamental reorientation that occurred in an ambitious project for the expansion of irrigation in the region of Valencia. In this region, characterised by a well-rooted commercial agriculture, the original scheme, initiated by an enlightened aristocrat well connected with the royal court, would be profoundly altered in the transition from one political regime to another. The irr…
A Population-Based 3D Atlas of the Pathological Lumbar Spine Segment
2022
The spine is the load-bearing structure of human beings and may present several disorders, with low back pain the most frequent problem during human life. Signs of a spine disorder or disease vary depending on the location and type of the spine condition. Therefore, we aim to develop a probabilistic atlas of the lumbar spine segment using statistical shape modeling (SSM) and then explore the variability of spine geometry using principal component analysis (PCA). Using computed tomography (CT), the human spine was reconstructed for 24 patients with spine disorders and then the mean shape was deformed upon specific boundaries (e.g., by ±3 or ±1.5 standard deviation). Results dem…
Identification of proprioceptive thalamocortical tracts in children: comparison of fMRI, MEG, and manual seeding of probabilistic tractography
2022
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. Studying white matter connections with tractography is a promising approach to understand the development of different brain processes, such as proprioception. An emerging method is to use functional brain imaging to select the cortical seed points for tractography, which is considered to improve the functional relevance and validity of the studied connections. However, it is unknown whether different functional seeding methods affect the spatial and microstructural properties of the given white matter connection. Here, we compared functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetoencephalography, and manual seedin…
Interpretation of the Ωc→π+Ω(2012)→π+(K¯Ξ) relative to Ωc→π+K¯Ξ from the Ω(2012) molecular perspective
2022
Efficacy of Long-Term Treatment of Autosomal Recessive Hypercholesterolemia With Lomitapide: A Subanalysis of the Pan-European Lomitapide Study
2022
Backgroundand aim: Autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia (ARH) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) metabolism caused by pathogenic variants in the LDLRAP1 gene. Like homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, ARH is resistant to conventional LDL-lowering medications and causes a high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs) and aortic valve stenosis. Lomitapide is emerging as an efficacious therapy in classical HoFH, but few data are available for ARH.Results: This is a subanalysis carried out on nine ARH patients included in the Pan-European Lomitapide Study. The age at starting lomitapide was 46 (interquartile range (IQR), 39.0–65.5) y…
About some difficulties with the functional forms of Lorenz curves
2022
We study to what extent some functional form assumption on the Lorenz curve are amenable to calculating headcount poverty, or poverty threshold, the key concept to determine a poverty index. The difficulties in calculating it have been underestimated. We must choose some functional forms for the Lorenz concentration curve. We examine three families of one-parameter functional forms to estimate Lorenz curves: power (elementary and Pareto), exponential (elementary and Gupta) and fractional (Rohde). Computing these numerical functions may be difficult and impose some restrictions on their domain of definition, may impose to use some numerical approximation methods. The elementary power and exp…
Localization in Structured Environments with UWB Devices without Acceleration Measurements, and Velocity Estimation Using a Kalman–Bucy Filter
2022
In this work, a novel scheme for velocity and position estimation in a UWB range-based localization system is proposed. The suggested estimation strategy allows to overcome two main problems typically encountered in the localization systems. The first one is that it can be suitable for use in environments where the GPS signal is not present or where it might fail. The second one is that no accelerometer measurements are needed for the localization task. Moreover, to deal with the velocity estimation problem, a suitable Kalman–Bucy filter is designed and it is compared, experimentally, with a particle filter by showing the features of the two algorithms in order to be used in a localization …
New Voices from Intersecting Identities Among International Students Around the World
2022
In this article, we introduce our special issue, “International students’ lived experiences in the era unprecedented uncertainty and challenges: New voices from intersectional identities.” Our motivation and intention for this special issue, the focus, and the overall methodological approach are discussed. In addition to presenting the contributions of each article to this issue, we also discuss what we (all authors of this special issue) try to talk and how our voices are reflecting our unique experiences of coming to the new counties and leaving where we lived as international students by unfolding our stories and multiple identities that are intersecting while we experienced.
Selective aqueous oxidation of aromatic alcohols under solar light in the presence of TiO2 modified with different metal species
2022
AbstractA set of metals modified TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared starting from titanium tetraisopropoxyde and different metal precursors to study the influence of the addition of the various foreign agents on the physico-chemical and photocatalytic properties of the catalysts. The powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, specific surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, temperature programmed desorption after CO2 adsorption. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated using as probe reactions the partial oxidation of three aromatic alcohols: benzyl al…
Ecofriendly Biopolymer-Based Nanocomposite Films with Improved Photo-Oxidative Resistance
2022
The interest towards high performance biopolymer-based materials increases continuously and, to guarantee appropriately industrial applications, the photo-oxidative resistance and stability of these materials must be adequately addressed. In this study, innovative biopolymer-based nanocomposites, i.e., Polyamide 11 (PA11), containing ad-hoc modified Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH), were successfully formulated and characterized. Particularly, LDH were considered carriers for hindered amine light stabilizing molecules, so two different hindered amine moieties (HALS1 and HALS2) were anchored on LDH layered internal structures and/or outer surfaces. The presence of HALS1 and HALS2 in LDH were …
Vibronic recovering of functionality of quantum cellular automata based on bi-dimeric square cells with violated condition of strong Coulomb repulsio…
2022
Strong Coulomb repulsion between the two charges in a square planar mixed-valence cell in quantum cellular automata (QCA) allows us to encode the binary information in the two energetically beneficial diagonal distributions of the electronic density. In this article, we pose a question: to what extent is this condition obligatory for the design of the molecular cell? To answer this question, we examine the ability to use a square-planar cell composed of one-electron mixed valence dimers to function in QCA in a general case when the intracell Coulomb interaction U is not supposed to be extremely strong, which means that it is comparable with the characteristic electron transfer energy (viol…
One Species, Hundreds of Subspecies? New Insight into the Intraspecific Classification of the Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon Linnaeus , 1758)…
2022
The Old World swallowtail Papilio machaon Linnaeus, 1758 is one of the most well-known and most characteristic members of the family Papilionidae. Over the past two centuries, the butterfly has been the subject of many studies. P. machaon is characterised by a tendency to change the wing colour pattern. In turn, due to the great interest of collectors and amateur entomologists, these studies have been converted into the description of over 100 colour forms, aberrations and subspecies. In this study, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), 16S rDNA and cytochrome b sequences were used to examine the correlation between the intraspecific classification and genetic structure of P. machaon. The study used 8…
On the Accuracy of Cadastral Marks: Statistical Analyses to Assess the Congruence among GNSS-Based Positioning and Official Maps
2022
Cadastral marks constitute a dense source of information for topographical surveys required to update cadastral maps. Historically, in Italy, cadastral marks have been the cartographic network for the implementation of mapping updates. Different sources of cadastral marks can be used by cadastral surveyors. In recent years, the cadastre is moving toward a digital world, and with the advancement of surveying technology, GNSS CORS technology has emerged in the positioning of cadastral marks. An analysis of congruence among cadastral marks using GNSS CORS and official maps is missing. Thus, this work aims to analyze the positional accuracy of some cadastral marks, located in Palermo, Italy, wi…
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2022
Home Oral Care Domiciliary Protocol for the Management of Dental Erosion in Rugby Players: A Randomized Clinical Trial
2022
People performing regular physical activity are at high risk of dental erosion especially in cases of high sport drinks intake. Biomimetic hydroxyapatite-based oral hygiene products, like toothpastes and mouthwashes, have been investigated in recent years for their remineralizing activity on the teeth. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of two different oral hygiene protocols, respectively consisting of the combination of a hydroxyapatite-based toothpaste plus mouthwash (Trial group) or toothpaste alone (Control Group). At baseline (T0), as well as at 15 days (T1), 30 days (T2) and 90 days (T3), the following clinical indexes were assessed: Basic Erosive Wear Examinat…
Sustainable recycling technologies for thermoplastic polymers and their composites: A review of the state of the art
2022
This review article discusses the environmental and economic effects of recycling, as well as sustainable thermoplastic polymer recycling technologies. Several researchers have utilized recycled thermoplastics as matrices in the production of a variety of natural and synthetic-based composites, which is also the focus of this study. All of the industries (food and packaging, construction and building, transportation, and indoor usage) where recycled thermoplastics have a large market share (food and packaging, construction and building, transportation, and indoor usage) are covered in this review. The desirable properties of thermoplastic polymers, such as corrosion resistance, low density,…
Predicting ACL Injury Using Machine Learning on Data From an Extensive Screening Test Battery of 880 Female Elite Athletes
2022
Background: Injury risk prediction is an emerging field in which more research is needed to recognize the best practices for accurate injury risk assessment. Important issues related to predictive machine learning need to be considered, for example, to avoid overinterpreting the observed prediction performance. Purpose: To carefully investigate the predictive potential of multiple predictive machine learning methods on a large set of risk factor data for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury; the proposed approach takes into account the effect of chance and random variations in prediction performance. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: The authors used 3-dime…
Fine Alignment of Thermographic Images for Robotic Inspection of Parts with Complex Geometries
2022
Increasing the efficiency of the quality control phase in industrial production lines through automation is a rapidly growing trend. In non-destructive testing, active thermography techniques are known for their suitability to allow rapid non-contact and full-field inspections. The robotic manipulation of the thermographic instrumentation enables the possibility of performing inspections of large components with complex geometries by collecting multiple thermographic images from optimal positions. The robotisation of the thermographic inspection is highly desirable to improve assessment speed and repeatability without compromising inspection accuracy. Although integrating a robotic setup fo…
Integration Data Model of the Bathymetric Monitoring System for Shallow Waterbodies Using UAV and USV Platforms
2022
Changes in the seafloor relief are particularly noticeable in shallow waterbodies (at depths up to several metres), where they are of significance for human safety and environmental protection, as well as for which the highest measurement accuracy is required. The aim of this publication is to present the integration data model of the bathymetric monitoring system for shallow waterbodies using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV). As part of this model, three technology components will be created: a hydroacoustic and optoelectronic data integration component proposed by Dąbrowski et al., a radiometric depth determination component based on optoelectronic data u…
The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
2022
Background: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 20…
Proteostasis Deregulation in Neurodegeneration and Its Link with Stress Granules: Focus on the Scaffold and Ribosomal Protein RACK1.
2022
The role of protein misfolding, deposition, and clearance has been the dominant topic in the last decades of investigation in the field of neurodegeneration. The impairment of protein synthesis, along with RNA metabolism and RNA granules, however, are significantly emerging as novel potential targets for the comprehension of the molecular events leading to neuronal deficits. Indeed, defects in ribosome activity, ribosome stalling, and PQC—all ribosome-related processes required for proteostasis regulation—can contribute to triggering stress conditions and promoting the formation of stress granules (SGs) that could evolve in the formation of pathological granules, usually occurring during ne…
First case of monkeypox virus, SARS-CoV-2 and HIV co-infection
2022
Patient and mentor language style matching as a predictor of working alliance, engagement with treatment as usual, and eating disorders symptoms over…
2022
Objective The aim of this study was to examine the processes involved in a guided self-help (GSH) pre-treatment intervention (RecoveryMANTRA) for patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), by measuring the levels of patient/mentor Language Style Matching (LSM). RecoveryMANTRA was supported by student mentors or peer mentors (recovered individuals) over six weekly chat-based sessions. We examined whether LSM during RecoveryMANTRA predicted patients'working alliance with the clinic therapist, motivation, eating disorder (ED) and general psychopathology. A further aim was to examine differences in LSM between student mentors and peer mentors. Method 87 AN adults received RecoveryMANTRA plus treatmen…
Experimental and theoretical characterization of chelidonic acid structure
2022
Abstract Chelidonic acid (4-oxo-4H-pyran-2,6-dicarboxylic acid) is present in plants of Papaveraceae family, especially in Chelidonium majus. Due to its anticancer, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, and antioxidant properties, it has been used in medical treatments. In this work, the X-ray structure of methanol solvate of chelidonic acid was determined. Layers of chelidonic acid are held by hydrogen bonds via COOH and C = O fragments and additionally bridged by methanol. The formed H-bond network between two acid units is different from typical –COOH dimers observed, e.g., in crystals of isophtalic acid. The molecular structure of 2,6-dimethyl-γ-pyrone (2Me4PN) and chelidonic acid, a 2,6-dic…
The structural effect between the output module and chromophore-binding domain is a two-way street via the hairpin extension.
2022
AbstractSignal transduction typically starts with either ligand binding or cofactor activation, eventually affecting biological activities in the cell. In red light-sensing phytochromes, isomerization of the bilin chromophore results in regulation of the activity of diverse output modules. During this process, several structural elements and chemical events influence signal propagation. In our study, we have studied the full-length bacteriophytochrome from Deinococcus radiodurans as well as a previously generated optogenetic tool where the native histidine kinase output module has been replaced with an adenylate cyclase. We show that the composition of the output module influences the stabi…
Promoting prosocial behaviour among Colombian adolescents: the evaluation of a universal school-based program using a multi-informant perspective
2022
The present study evaluated the efficacy of an Italian school-based intervention programme adapted in three Colombian sites (Medellín, Manizales, and Santa Marta) in promoting prosocial behaviour among adolescents. Using a pre-test-post-test design with a multi-informant approach, the present study assessed 451 students (Mage = 12.77, SD = 1.06) of the intervention group and 428 students (Mage = 12.64, SD = 1.01) by using self-report and peer rating measures of prosocial behaviour. After establishing the measurement invariance across time and informants, a latent difference score model showed the positive effect of the intervention programme in improving prosocial behaviour evaluated by pee…
Cutis verticis gyrata and Noonan syndrome: report of two cases with pathogenetic variant in SOS1 gene
2022
Abstract Background Noonan and Noonan-like syndromes are multisystem genetic disorders, mainly with autosomal dominant trasmission, caused by mutations in several genes. Missense pathogenetic variants of SOS1 gene are the second most common cause of Noonan syndrome (NS) and account approximately for 13% to 17% of cases. Subjects carrying a pathogenetic variant in SOS1 gene tend to exhibit a distinctive phenotype that is characterized by ectodermal abnormalities. Cutis verticis gyrata (CVG) is a rare disease, congenital or acquired, characterized by the redundancy of skin on scalp, forming thick skin folds and grooves of similar aspect to cerebral cortex gyri. Several references in the liter…
No-Till Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Patterns as Affected by Climate and Soil Erosion in the Arable Land of Mediterranean Europe
2022
No-tillage (NT) has been considered an agronomic tool to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC) and match the 4p1000 initiative requirements of conservative soil management. Recently, some doubts have emerged about the NT effect on SOC sequestration, often because observations and experimental data vary widely depending on climate and geographic characteristics. Therefore, a suitable SOC accounting method is needed that considers climate and morphology interactions. In this study, the yearly ratio between SOC in NT and conventional tillage (CT) (RRNT/CT) collected in a previous study for flat (96 samples) and sloping (44 samples) paired sites was used to map the overestimation of SOC sequestra…
The relation between Self-esteem and regulatory emotional self-efficacy in daily life: a study among university students
2022
In the present study, we aimed to explore the dynamic relationships among self-esteem, self-efficacy in managing negative emotions (SRN), and expressing positive emotions (SEP) in a short-term, daily framework. We used data collected over 10 days from 101 Italian and 237 Spanish young adults. Results from a Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model indicated that the relationships were mostly at the trait-level, since the positive correlations among the latent random intercepts of self-esteem, SRN, and SEP were medium-to-large in size. At the state-level, we found a similar pattern of correlations (although their size was smaller than the correlations at the traitlevel) in which higher-than…
Environmental taxation, information precision, and information sharing
2022
We analyze how environmental taxes should be optimally levied when the regulators and firms face costs uncertainties in a Stackelberg-Cournot game. We allow linear-quadratic payoffs functions coupled with an affine information structure encompassing common and private information with noisy signals. In the first period, the regulator chooses the intensity of emissions taxes in order to reduce externalities. In the second period, facing industry-related and firm-specific shocks, firms compete in the marketplace as Cournot rivals and choose outputs. We show that, given costs uncertainties with non-uniform quality of signals across firms, the regulator sets differentiated tax policy. We also e…
How educators commit to enhancing children’s participation in early childhood education pedagogical plans
2022
Background: This is a descriptive study of children’s participation plans in early childhood education (ECE) settings in Finland. The study adopted a multidimensional approach to find out how practices of children’s participation were conceived in pedagogical plans made by ECE staff, representing a focus that is rare in the existing body of research. Aim: Aim of the study was to investigate educators’ commitments to enhancing children’s participation in pedagogical practices in their ECE settings. Setting: Ten centre-based plans for children’s participation composed by ECE staff at ECE centres were selected for the document data in this study. Methods: This study employs the categorisation …
The SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies, Their Diagnostic Utility, and Their Potential for Vaccine Development.
2022
Antibodies (Abs) are important immune mediators and powerful diagnostic markers in a wide range of infectious diseases. Understanding the humoral immunity or the development of effective antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 is a prerequisite for limiting disease burden in the community and aids in the development of new diagnostic, therapeutic, and vaccination options. Accordingly, the role of antiviral antibodies in the resistance to and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was explored. Antibody testing showed the potential in adding important diagnostic value to the routine diagnosis and clinical management of COVID-19. They could also play a critical role in COVID-19 surveillance, allowing for a …
An Urban Governance Framework for Including Environmental Migrants in Sustainable Cities
2022
This article proposes an urban governance framework for including environmental migrants in sustainable cities. It outlines the links among environmental migration, vulnerability, and sustainability, showing how vulnerability and sustainability are not about the environment or the human condition as snapshots in space and time, but rather are long-term, multi-scalar, ever-evolving processes. This theoretical baseline is followed by a description of some practical approaches already applied for including environmental migrants in sustainable cities. The wide variety and lack of cohesion justifies the need for a framework, leading to three principal characteristics of a governance framework s…
Association between cooking fuels and mild cognitive impairment among older adults from six low- and middle-income countries
2022
AbstractThere is a small body of evidence suggesting that unclean cooking fuel use may be associated with cognitive decline. However, to date, no study has investigated the association between unclean cooking fuel and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Thus, we investigated the association between cooking fuel type or ventilation type and MCI among adults aged ≥ 65 years using nationally representative datasets from six low- and middle-income countries. Cross-sectional, community-based data from the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global Ageing and adult health (SAGE) were analyzed. MCI was defined using the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association criteria. Unclean cookin…
Altered Food Behavior and Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature
2022
There is evidence of an association between cancer and certain types of altered eating behaviors, including orthorexia, food cravings, and food addiction. Given the growing interest in the topic throughout the scientific community we conducted a systematic review to summarize current evidence on the development of altered food behavior, including food addiction and cancer. The Cochrane Collaboration and the Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines were followed to perform this systematic review. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to report the process and results. The structured literature search was co…
The barriers dentists face to communicate cancer diagnosis:self-assessment based on SPIKES protocol
2022
This study aimed to characterize the barriers faced by Brazilian dentists to deliver bad news (DBN) about oral and oropharyngeal cancer diagnoses to patients by using a questionnaire based on the guidelines of the SPIKES protocol. This was an observational cross-sectional study. The questionnaire contained 27 questions based on the SPIKES protocol, which were answered in the SurveyMonkey platform. A total of 186/249 dentists answered the questionnaire. The main specialties reported were 36.02% oral medicine, 21.5% oral pathology, and 9.13% oral and maxillofacial surgery. A total of 44.6% expressed concern about the patient?s emotional reactions, and 46.24% of respondents had never participa…