FMECA Application in Tomotherapy: Comparison between Classic and Fuzzy Methodologies

2022

Accident analysis in radiotherapy highlighted the need to increase quality assurance (QA) programs by the identification of failures/errors with very low probability (rare event) but very severe consequences. In this field, a Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) technique, used in various industrial processes to rank critical events, has been met with much interest. The literature describes different FMECA methods; however, it is necessary to understand if these tools are incisive and effective in the healthcare sector. In this work, comparisons of FMECA methodologies in the risk assessment of patients undergoing treatments performed with helical tomotherapy are reported. …

DEVELOPMENT OF A HOME-BASED TRAINING PROGRAM FOR PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON DISEASE: NEUROBIOLOGICAL AND MOTOR SKILLS EFFECT

2022

Neurodegenerative diseases are inherited diseases of the central nervous system, which cause progressive damage to specific populations of neurons and lead to a deterioration in the quality of life (1,2). Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and is the second most common after AD, and is characterized by postural instability, tremor and rigidity. Moreover, physical activity can reduces risk of other geriatric diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, which may also contribute to PD pathogenesis (3). We enrolled 12 subjects (age: 62.74 ± 4.94; height: 175,5cm ± 7,41 cm; weight: 75,5 ± 17,95 kg) affected by PD. An home-based…

« Rien dans les mains, rien dans les poches ». Louis Gernet e Jean-Pierre Vernant e lo studio della tirannide in Grecia

2022

The article aims both at exploring the contribution of L. Gernet and J.-P. Vernant to the study of tyranny in Greece and at reconstructing the intellectual and academic context in which these considerations were developed. These two scholars devoted only a couple of short essays to that topic, managing to trace the behavioural patterns of the Greek tyrants in the mythical past. The results that they reached and the approach they applied to the ancient sources arose a wide debate and had a considerable impact on the later studies on the tyranny.

Nuclear modification factor of light neutral-meson spectra up to high transverse momentum in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 8.16 TeV

2022

Neutral pion (π0) and η meson production cross sections were measured up to unprecedentedly high transverse momenta (pT) in p–Pb collisions at √sNN=8.16TeV. The mesons were reconstructed via their two-photon decay channel in the rapidity interval −1.310 GeV/c, leaving essentially no room for final state energy loss. The new data provide strong constraints for nuclear parton distribution and fragmentation functions over a broad kinematic range and are compared to model predictions as well as previous results at √sNN=5.02TeV. peerReviewed

Dynamic Community Discovery Method Based on Phylogenetic Planted Partition in Temporal Networks

2022

As most of the community discovery methods are researched by static thought, some community discovery algorithms cannot represent the whole dynamic network change process efficiently. This paper proposes a novel dynamic community discovery method (Phylogenetic Planted Partition Model, PPPM) for phylogenetic evolution. Firstly, the time dimension is introduced into the typical migration partition model, and all states are treated as variables, and the observation equation is constructed. Secondly, this paper takes the observation equation of the whole dynamic social network as the constraint between variables and the error function. Then, the quadratic form of the error function is minimized…

Multi-Season Phenology Mapping of Nile Delta Croplands Using Time Series of Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 Green LAI

2022

Space-based cropland phenology monitoring substantially assists agricultural managing practices and plays an important role in crop yield predictions. Multitemporal satellite observations allow analyzing vegetation seasonal dynamics over large areas by using vegetation indices or by deriving biophysical variables. The Nile Delta represents about half of all agricultural lands of Egypt. In this region, intensifying farming systems are predominant and multi-cropping rotations schemes are increasing, requiring a high temporal and spatial resolution monitoring for capturing successive crop growth cycles. This study presents a workflow for cropland phenology characterization and mapping based on…

Micro-thermometry and minerochemical composition of ultramafic xenoliths and minerals from Mt. Vulture volcano (southern Italy)

2022

Here minerochemical composition and micro-thermometric data of ultramafic xenoliths (wehrlite) and loose xenocrysts (olivine and Cr-diopside) from the last melilitite-carbonatite explosive volcanic activity of Mt. Vulture volcano. In addition, some geometrical parameters of pelletal lapilli are reported.

Novel Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical-Based Approaches for Cardiovascular Diseases Prevention Targeting Atherogenic Small Dense LDL

2022

Compelling evidence supports the causative link between increased levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. For that reason, the principal aim of primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention is to reach and sustain recommended LDL-C goals. Although there is a considerable body of evidence that shows that lowering LDL-C levels is directly associated with CVD risk reduction, recent data shows that the majority of patients across Europe cannot achieve their LDL-C targets. In attempting to address this matter, a new overarching concept of a lipid-lowering approach, comprising of even more intensive, much earlier and lo…

Dark matters : contrasting responses of stream biofilm to browning and loss of riparian shading

2022

Concentrations of terrestrial-derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in freshwater ecosystems have increased consistently, causing freshwater browning. The mechanisms behind browning are complex, but in forestry-intensive regions browning is accelerated by land drainage. Forestry actions in streamside riparian forests alter canopy shading, which together with browning is expected to exert a complex and largely unpredictable control over key ecosystem functions. We conducted a stream mesocosm experiment with three levels of browning (ambient vs. moderate vs. high, with 2.7 and 5.5-fold increase, respectively, in absorbance) crossed with two levels of riparian shading (70% light reduction vs.…

Host-related factors and cancer: Malnutrition and non-Hodgkin lymphoma

2022

Assessment of host-related factors is a crucial aspect in the comprehensive management of cancer patients. A distinct nutritional disturbance linked to cancer has been recognized to be associated with negative outcomes. However, compared to solid tumors, only a limited number of studies have looked specifically at nutritional issues in the field of lymphoma. The aim of this review is to integrate the current knowledge on interactions between malnutrition and lymphoma and address most relevant and pertinent questions. We first provide a literature review on the mutual biological relationship between malnutrition and lymphoma. Next, we explore the overlap between malnutrition, sarcopenia, cac…

Association of frailty with fall events in older adults: A 12-year longitudinal study in Korea

2022

Background: Evidence has shown that frailty is associated with the risk of falls in older people. However, the components of frailty that have the highest association with fall events are largely unknown. Methods: This study analyzed panel data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. We used the Korean Frailty Instrument, which includes domains for social isolation, exhaustion and weakness estimated by grip strength, to assess frailty. Fall event data were collected during follow-up visits. Results: A total of 3122 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older were included at baseline in 2006 and were followed up every 2 years until 2018. The participants with frailty had a higher …

Instructions for External Focus of Attention Improved Taekwondo Kicking Performance Only Among Less Skilled Youth

2022

External focus of attention (EFA) studies among children have yielded more equivocal results than have those among adults. Some investigators have found an internal focus of attention (IFA) advantage in children and have explained their results by children’s generally lower skill levels, compared to adults. According to the constrained action hypothesis, children’s lower skill levels are not yet associated with over-learned automatic movement patterns, so their motor performance is not disrupted by IFA instructions. In this study, our objective was to examine a possible interaction effect between children’s skill levels and their exposure to either IFA or EFA instructions on motor performa…

The Claretian Community: The Exit Profile of Students at the Claret School of Barcelona

2022

This paper provides an analysis of the exit profile of a student who completes their studies at the Claret School of Barcelona, a primary and secondary educational institution belonging to the Claretian Community in Spain. The Claret School of Barcelona is a center that is partially funded by the government, however, all students must pay tuition. The final two grades at the school, that is the baccalaureate years, are private and receive no public funding. During a five-year period (2014-2019), a group of teachers from both the primary and secondary schools, along with the management team and external psycho-pedagogical advisors with expertise in educational innovation, undertook a project…

Evaluation of Hybrid Models to Estimate Chlorophyll and Nitrogen Content of Maize Crops in the Framework of the Future CHIME Mission

2022

In the next few years, the new Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission (CHIME) is foreseen to be launched by the European Space Agency (ESA). This mission will provide an unprecedented amount of hyperspectral data, enabling new research possibilities within several fields of natural resources, including the “agriculture and food security” domain. In order to efficiently exploit this upcoming hyperspectral data stream, new processing methods and techniques need to be studied and implemented. In this work, the hybrid approach (HYB) and its variant, featuring sampling dimensionality reduction through active learning heuristics (HAL), were applied to CHIME-like data to evaluate the…

Learning by Working

2022

Work placements can provide good opportunities for students to obtain meaningful learning and work experience. In Latvia, the quality of work placements varies and can lead to both excellent and dubious experience. The chapter aims at investigating how work placements can contribute to student development and how to organize work placements of high quality by exploring examples of good practice of organizing work placements in the companies in Latvia. The results indicate that the most important factor to ensure quality work placements is the interest and motivation of the companies which stems from their need for qualified workers, strategic goals, and sustainable working practices. Qualit…

Hirayama disease: Nosological classification and neuroimaging clues for diagnosis

2022

Hirayama disease (HD) is a rare, benign, and nonprogressive motor neuron disease (MND) affecting the upper limbs. It usually presents with weakness and amyotrophy in a single upper extremity with an insidious onset between adolescence and the third decade of life. Since its description in 1959, HD has been known under several names and eponyms in Europe and in Asian countries probably due to its heterogeneous clinical features. Thus, the unclear nosological classification makes challenging the differential diagnosis between HD and other neuromuscular conditions, such as MNDs. However, apart from the nosological difficulties and the lack of evidence-based guideline for diagnosis, the neuroim…

Social network analysis approaches to study crime

2022

Social Network Analysis (SNA) studies groups of individuals and can be applied in a lot of areas such us organizational studies, psychology, economics, information science and criminology. One of the most important results of SNA has been the definition of a set of centrality measures (e.g., degree, closeness, betweenness, or clustering coefficient) which can be used to identify the most influential people with respect to their network of relationships. The main problem with computing centrality metrics on social networks is the typical big size of the data. From the computational point of view, SNA represents social networks as graphs composed of a set of nodes connected by another set of …

Continuous Microfiber Wire Mandrel‐Less Biofabrication for Soft Tissue Engineering Applications

2022

Suture materials are the most common bioimplants in surgical and clinical practice, playing a crucial role in wound healing and tendon and ligament repair. Despite the assortment available on the market, sutures are still affected by significant disadvantages, including failure in mimicking the mechanical properties of the tissue, excessive fibrosis, and inflammation. This study introduces a mandrel-less electrodeposition apparatus to fabricate continuous microfiber wires of indefinite length. The mandrel-less biofabrication produces wires, potentially used as medical fibers, with different microfiber bundles, that imitate the hierarchical organization of native tissues, and tailored mechan…

A redescription of the Mediterranean endemic cladoceran Daphnia chevreuxi Richard, 1896 (Cladocera: Daphniidae)

2022

The Mediterranean area is a biodiversity and endemism hotspot. “Circum-Mediterranean” taxa are known among different hydrobionts, including the water fleas. Some Mediterranean endemic cladoceran taxa have been described or redescribed according to modern taxonomical standards, but accurate drawings are missing for others. Here we redescribe the Mediterranean endemic Daphnia chevreuxi Richard, 1896 (Crustacea: Cladocera) and briefly review available data on its distribution and ecology. The species is confirmed to be a typical inhabitant of the temporary ponds of the central Mediterranean area, whereas its populations from the eastern Balkans and the Middle East should be studied in order to…

Parvovirus nonstructural protein 2 interacts with chromatin-regulating cellular proteins

2022

Autonomous parvoviruses encode at least two nonstructural proteins, NS1 and NS2. While NS1 is linked to important nuclear processes required for viral replication, much less is known about the role of NS2. Specifically, the function of canine parvovirus (CPV) NS2 has remained undefined. Here we have used proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID) to screen for nuclear proteins that associate with CPV NS2. Many of these associations were seen both in noninfected and infected cells, however, the major type of interacting proteins shifted from nuclear envelope proteins to chromatin-associated proteins in infected cells. BioID interactions revealed a potential role for NS2 in DNA remodel…

Kriittinen ja korjaava artikkelikokoelma inklusiivisemmasta museotyöstä

2022

Marginaaleista museoihin. Toim. Anna Rastas & Leila Koivunen. Vastapaino 2021. 345 s.

Observation of the Singly Cabibbo Suppressed Decay Λc+→nπ+

2022

Physical review letters 128(14), 142001 (2022). doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.142001

Investigation of Nonlinear Optical Processes in Mercury Sulfide Quantum Dots

2022

European Regional Development Fund (1.1.1.5/19/A/003), State Assignment to Higher Educational Institutions of Russian Federation (FZGU-2020-0035), Russian Foundation for Basic Research (18-29-20062). Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence acknowledges funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.

Radiomics Analysis of Brain [18F]FDG PET/CT to Predict Alzheimer’s Disease in Patients with Amyloid PET Positivity: A Preliminary Report on the Appli…

2022

Background: Early in-vivo diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is crucial for accurate management of patients, in particular, to select subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that may evolve into AD, and to define other types of MCI non-AD patients. The application of artificial intelligence to functional brain [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography(CT) aiming to increase diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of AD is still undetermined. In this field, we propose a radiomics analysis on advanced imaging segmentation method Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM)-based completed with a Machine-Learning (ML) application to predict the diagnosi…

Acute Floatation-REST Improves Perceived Recovery After a High-Intensity Resistance Exercise Stress in Trained Men

2022

The aim of the present investigation was to determine whether a 1-h floatation-restricted environmental stimulation therapy (floatation-REST) session could augment recovery from high-intensity resistance exercise (6 × 10 back squats, 2-min rest) known to induce significant metabolic, adrenergic, and mechanical stress.Eleven healthy resistance-trained males (age, 22.5 ± 2.3 yr; height, 176.4 ± 6.0 cm; weight, 85.7 ± 6.2 kg; back squat one-repetition maximum, 153.1 ± 20.1 kg; strength-to-weight ratio, 1.8 ± 0.2) completed the within-subject, crossover controlled study design. Participants completed two exercise testing blocks separated by a 2-wk washout. In one block, the high-intensity resis…

Quantum collision models: Open system dynamics from repeated interactions

2022

We present an extensive introduction to quantum collision models (CMs), also known as repeated interactions schemes: a class of microscopic system-bath models for investigating open quantum systems dynamics whose use is currently spreading in a number of research areas. Through dedicated sections and a pedagogical approach, we discuss the CMs definition and general properties, their use for the derivation of master equations, their connection with quantum trajectories, their application in non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics, their non-Markovian generalizations, their emergence from conventional system-bath microscopic models and link to the input-output formalism. The state of the art o…

Treatment of diabetes and heart failure: Facts and hopes.

2022

Medicinal and aromatic plants in agricultural research, when considering criteria of multifunctionality and sustainability

2022

Over the last twenty years, agriculture has witnessed significant changes in terms of energy requirements, advanced technologies and practices. This is in response to the impacts of crop production on the climate and environment and increasing awareness of the importance of agricultural sustainability through organic farming. Agriculture encompasses complex production systems and certain aspects of multifunctionality and sustainability have become fundamental for these systems. Agricultural activity can provide various functions in agro-ecosystems, such as producing food, managing natural resources, and conserving landscape and plant biodiversity; contributing to the cultural, historical an…

Role of antibodies in vaccine-mediated protection against tuberculosis.

2022

Enhancing policy design and sustainable community outcomes through collaborative platforms based on a dynamic performance management and governance a…

2022

This chapter aims at illustrating how a Dynamic Performance Management and Governance approach may support the implementation of “collaborative platforms” (Ansell and Gash, 2018) to enhance network policy design and the pursuit of sustainable community outcomes. This is an emerging field of research, embracing performance management, collaborative governance, and systems theory, aimed at fostering a learning-oriented perspective in performance data use. Such a view has been also referred as “collaborative performance management”, i.e., the “sharing of resources and information among different actors for the purposes of achieving a formal performance goal” (Choi and Moynihan, 2019, p. 1539).…

Aging modifies receptor expression but not muscular contractile response to angiotensin II in rat jejunum

2022

AbstractThe involvement of renin-angiotensin system in the modulation of gut motility and age-related changes in mRNA expression of angiotensin (Ang II) receptors (ATR) are well accepted. We aimed to characterize, in vitro, the contractile responses induced by Ang II, in jejunum from young (3–6 weeks old) and old rats (≥ 1 year old), to evaluate possible functional differences associated to changes in receptor expression. Mechanical responses to Ang II were examined in vitro as changes in isometric tension. ATR expression was assessed by qRT-PCR. Ang II induced a contractile effect, antagonized by losartan, AT1R antagonist, and increased by PD123319, AT2R antagonist, as well by neural block…

Enhancing the Skill Sets for Increasing Youth Employability in Latvia

2022

Globalization, the development of new technologies, an ageing population, and the economic situation will continue influencing the skills mix; therefore, special attention has to be paid to young people to develop a skilled workforce responding to the current and future labour market needs, as well as to promote lifelong learning. The present study explores different concepts of employability and analyses employability skills of young people (aged 15-29) focusing on the most significant skills and the possible ways of enhancing their development. A survey of 405 youngsters and 81 representatives of institutions conducted in Latvia resulted in developing certain recommendations on how to inc…

Influenza and Other Prophylactic Vaccination Coverage in Polish Adult Patients Undergoing Allergen Immunotherapy-A Survey Study among Patients and Ph…

2022

Vaccines against infectious diseases may raise safety concerns in patients undergoing allergen immunotherapy (AIT). The objective of our study was to investigate influenza vaccine and other selected prophylactic vaccines coverage in patients treated with AIT and the attitude of physicians towards vaccinations in this group of patients. We conducted a questionnaire-based study among patients undergoing AIT and physicians. The patients’ survey evaluated influenza and other prophylactic vaccines coverage. The physicians’ survey assessed their experience and opinions on prophylactic vaccinations during AIT. In total, 176 patients (aged 18–79 years) and 120 doctors filled the q…

Monitoring Human Viral Pathogens Reveals Potential Hazard for Treated Wastewater Discharge or Reuse

2022

Wastewater discharge to the environment or its reuse after sanitization poses a concern for public health given the risk of transmission of human viral diseases. However, estimating the viral infectivity along the wastewater cycle presents technical challenges and still remains underexplored. Recently, human-associated crAssphage has been investigated to serve as viral pathogen indicator to monitor fecal impacted water bodies, even though its assessment as biomarker for infectious enteric viruses has not been explored yet. To this end, the occurrence of potentially infectious norovirus genogroup I (GI), norovirus GII, hepatitis A virus (HAV), rotavirus A (RV), and human astrovirus (HAstV) a…

Inspiratory Effort and Respiratory Mechanics in Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Idiopathic Pulmonary fibrosis: A Preliminary Matched Control Stud…

2022

Background: Patients with acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF) may experience severe acute respiratory failure, even requiring ventilatory assistance. Physiological data on lung mechanics during these events are lacking. Methods: Patients with AE-IPF admitted to Respiratory Intensive Care Unit to receive non-invasive ventilation (NIV) were retrospectively analyzed. Esophageal pressure swing (ΔPes) and respiratory mechanics before and after 2 hours of NIV were collected as primary outcome. The correlation between positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels and changes of in dynamic compliance (dynCRS) and PaO2/FiO2 ratio was assessed. Further, an exploratory compar…

Välineitä avarakatseiseen tiedontuotantoon

2022

Tutkiva mielikuvitus. Luovat, osallistuvat ja toiminnalliset tutkimusmenetelmät yhteiskuntatieteissä. Toim. Sanna Ryynänen & Anni Rannikko. Gaudeamus 2021. 328 s.