showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Guanidinoacetic Acid as a Nutritional Adjuvant to Multiple Sclerosis Therapy
2022
Tackling impaired bioenergetics in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been recently recognized as an innovative approach with therapeutic potential. Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) is an experimental nutrient that plays a significant role in high-energy phosphate metabolism. The preliminary trials suggest beneficial effects of supplemental GAA in MS, with GAA augments biomarkers of brain energy metabolism and improves patient-reported features of the disease. GAA can also impact other metabolic footprints of MS, including demyelination, oxidative stress, and GABA-glutamate imbalance. In this mini-review article, we summarize studies evaluating GAA effectiveness in MS, explore mechanisms of GAA action, …
Vibrating Exercise Equipment in Middle-Age and Older Women with Chronic Low Back Pain and Effects on Bioelectrical Activity, Range of Motion and Pain…
2022
Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. Physical activity (PA) is often recommended as part of the management of CLBP, but to date, no one particular exercise has been shown to be superior. Vibrating exercise equipment (VEE) is widely available and used despite little scientific evidence to support its effectiveness in the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of using VEE compared with sham-VEE in women with CLBP. Methods: A randomized (1:1 randomization scheme) single-blinded sham-controlled intervention study was conducted. Through simple randomization, 92 women aged…
The estimation of porosity in Japan Trench plate boundary using low-resolution X-ray computed tomography (XCT) images and laboratory measurements
2022
Abstract. X-ray computed tomography (XCT) is an advanced imaging technique that has been increasingly used in the past years because it can provide valuable information on internal structures of a rock sample in a non-invasive manner. The maximum resolution of lab-based XCT facilities is ~0.5 μm, which might be sufficient to capture macropores in some rocks (i.e., sandstone), but will result in underestimation of porosity in clay-rich sediments containing micro-and nano-scale pores. Furthermore, such high-resolution XCT facilities are quite expensive and not ubiquitous. In this study, we introduce a new methodology based on the K-means clustering algorithm to process of low-resolution XCT i…
Light ring images of double photon spheres in black hole and wormhole spacetimes
2022
The silhouette of a black hole having a critical curve (an unstable bound photon orbit) when illuminated by an optically thin accretion disk whose emission is confined to the equatorial plane shows a distinctive central brightness depression (the shadow) whose outer edge consists of a series of strongly lensed, self-similar rings superimposed with the disk's direct emission. While the size and shape of the critical curve depend only on the background geometry, the pattern of bright and dark regions (including the size and depth of the shadow itself) in the image is strongly influenced by the (astro)physics of the accretion disk. This aspect makes it difficult to extract clean and clear obse…
The promotion of tourism in Italian regions from a sensorial perspective: a website content analysis
2022
Recent tourism literature has identified the sensory dimension as key to understanding, planning and marketing tourist experiences. This paper aims to understand to what extent Italian regions consider the sensorial perspective in tourist communication, focusing the analysis on their institutional websites. We used the content analysis method considering two different periods to investigate the evolution of Italian tourism promotion. The results show that for all institutional websites, over time, attention engages only some of the five sensorial dimensions. That is, the communication does not appear balanced. Furthermore, the promotional communication in several regions is more oriented to…
School-Age Children's Actual Motor Competence and Perceived Physical Competence: A 3-Yr Follow-up.
2022
Purpose This study examined school-aged children’s actual motor competence (MC) and perceived physical competence (PC) over three years along with the covariate effects of gender and body mass index (BMI). Methods Participants were 1 121 (girls 573, boys 548) children (Mage 11.26 ± .32) from 35 randomly selected public schools across Finland. MC was assessed using three movement tests targeting locomotor, stability, and object control skills, and PC was assessed using the sport competence subscale of the Physical Self-Perception Profile via four-phase monitoring. Results MC and PC remained stable over time. Of the three variables, locomotor skills showed the strongest association with PC. L…
Natural enemies emerging in cereal fields in spring may contribute to biological control
2022
1.Biological pest control is known to depend on landscape heterogeneity. However, such relationship shows irregular pattern and seems influenced by local farming practices and natural enemies that overwinter within crop fields. The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of emerging natural enemies in spring to biological control, and their response to the interaction between landscape heterogeneity and farming intensity. 2.We monitored the overwintering insect community using emergence traps and measured the local potential pest predation using prey cards in 30 cereal fields, in spring in France. Study fields were selected along a landscape heterogeneity gradient and farming…
LA DEMOGRAFIA DEI TERRITORI E PER I TERRITORI. QUALE CONTRIBUTO DAL PNRR?
2022
non presente
Associations of resting and peak fat oxidation with sex hormone profile and blood glucose control in middle-aged women.
2022
Background and Aims Menopause may reduce fat oxidation. We investigated whether sex hormone profile explains resting fat oxidation (RFO) or peak fat oxidation (PFO) during incremental cycling in middle-aged women. Secondarily, we studied associations of RFO and PFO with glucose regulation. Method and Results We measured RFO and PFO of 42 women (age 52–58 years) with indirect calorimetry. Seven participants were pre- or perimenopausal, 26 were postmenopausal, and nine were postmenopausal hormone therapy users. Serum estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone, progesterone, and testosterone levels were quantified with immunoassays. Insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index) and glucose tolerance (…
Effects of low load exercise with and without blood-flow restriction on microvascular oxygenation, muscle excitability and perceived pain
2022
This paper aimed to examine the acute effect of low-load (LL) exercise with blood-flow restriction (LL-BFR) on microvascular oxygenation and muscle excitability of the vastus medialis (VM) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles during a single bout of unilateral knee extension exercise performed to task failure. Seventeen healthy recreationally resistance-trained males were enrolled in a within-group randomized cross-over study design. Participants performed one set of unilateral knee extensions at 20% of one-repetition maximum (1RM) to task failure, using a LL-BFR or LL free-flow (LL-FF) protocol in a randomized order on separate days. Changes in oxygenation and muscle excitability in VL and VM…
Attributes and definitions of locomotor capacity in older people: a World Health Organisation (WHO) locomotor capacity working group meeting report
2022
not available
Historia digital: un campo en busca de identidad
2022
¿Qué es la historia digital? ¿Cuáles son sus características? Este texto pretende aclarar en qué consiste este campo académico, presentando algunos de sus rasgos esenciales y planteando algunas dudas. Para ello, ofrece un recorrido en dos partes. Por un lado, describe someramente la genealogía de la «transdisciplina» denominada «humanidades digitales». Por otro, detalla el significado de la «historia digital», centrándose en un ejemplo –en torno a la obra del prestigioso historiador Robert Darnton- que permite aclarar los resultados y los debates que ha generado. El texto concluye afirmando que en un mundo caracterizado por la desmaterialización del texto y por la abundancia de documentos, …
A survey to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with the risk of foodborne infection in a sample of Sicilian general population
2022
<abstract> <p>Although foodborne infections contracted at home are frequent diseases worldwide, there is a general lack of information. Main purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of a sample of the general Sicilian population about the risk of contracting foodborne diseases. It was carried out through a web-based questionnaire to a Sicilian population sample. The questionnaire collected socio-demographic data, health issues, KAP and self-reported diseases. Scores were calculated for summarizing the results. A total of 373 subjects participated into the study. Overall, 65.15% of the participants were females, 48.26% of all…
Protonation-induced fluorescence modulation of carbazole-based emitters
2022
The development of purely organic fluorescence emitters is of great importance for their low cost and high performance. Responding to this demand, carbazole is a promising emitter due to its extensive freedom for functionalisation, high thermal and chemical stability, as well as low cost. Herein, the effect of protonation on the fluorescence of various pyridine-functionalised carbazole-based bipolar host materials was studied both in solution and in the solid-state. The restriction of intramolecular rotation of the molecules upon protonation of the pyridyl-moiety together with easier planarization of the protonated acceptor and the donor moieties and relocalisation of the LUMO orbital on th…
Trends in HIV sexual prevention: Attitudinal beliefs and behavioral intention in Spanish young people over the past two decades (1999-2020).
2022
Abstract Despite preventive efforts, HIV exposure is still a concern for public health. The current prevalence is related to unsafe sex, which is based on socio-cognitive variables. Therefore, information about these variables is required to verify whether the past preventive strategies have been effective and improve the future ones. However, there is not updated information to adjust future preventive interventions. For this reason, this study analyzes trends by gender in Spanish young people over the past two decades in perceived susceptibility to HIV, severity perceived to HIV, condom confidence and the intention of condom use, from 1999 to 2020. For this purpose, 11,665 Spanish young p…
Elementi di un modellino architettonico in pietra dal Santuario di Contrada Mango a Segesta
2022
Nel 1957, in occasione di una campagna di scavo in Contrada Mango di Segesta, Vincenzo Tusa rinvenne due frammenti litici di membrature architettoniche miniaturistiche, appartenenti ad un fregio dorico e ad una cornice, parimenti dorica. In questa sede, oltre a proporre un’analisi dettagliata dei due frammenti, si cercherà di avanzare alcune ipotesi sul contesto della loro realizzazione, sulla loro funzione e sull’eventuale monumento di riferimento, con una rapida disamina della problematica legata ai paradeigmata architettonici nell’antichità. In 1957, during an excavation campaign in Contrada Mango of Segesta, Vincenzo Tusa found two lithic fragments of miniaturistic architectural element…
Reversible tuning of luminescence and magnetism in a structurally flexible erbium-anilato MOF.
2022
By combining 3,6-N-ditriazolyl-2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (H2trz2An) with NIR-emitting ErIII ion, two different 3D neutral polymorphic frameworks (1a and 1b), differing for the number of uncoordinated water molecules, formulated as [Er2(trz2An)3(H2O)4]n·xH2O (x = 10, a; x = 7, b), have been obtained. The structure of 1a shows layers with (6,3) topology forming six-membered rings with distorted hexagonal cavities along the bc plane. These 2D layers are interconnected through the N4 atoms of the two pendant arms of the trz2An linkers, leading to a 3D framework, where neighboring layers are eclipsed along the a axis, with hexagonal channels filled with water molecules. In 1b, layers with (…
Nuove regole di applicazione del diritto UE in sede nazionale?
2022
Two important judgments of the Consiglio di Stato (Italy) allow revisiting general institutions relating to the primacy of EU law and the instruments that guarantee its application in national law. Among others are the direct effect of the directives, the need for a preliminary ruling, and the so-called double preliminary ruling. Finally, the essay highlights some critical issues regarding the limits of the non-application of the law, the overcoming of the res judicata, and the temporary suspension of the ousting effect of a rule of EU law by national courts.
Frequency-based ensemble forecasting model for time series forecasting
2022
AbstractThe M4 forecasting competition challenged the participants to forecast 100,000 time series with different frequencies: hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. These series come mainly from the economic, finance, demographics, and industrial areas. This paper describes the model used in the competition, which is a combination of statistical methods, namely auto-regressive integrated moving-average, exponential smoothing (ETS), bagged ETS, temporal hierarchical forecasting method, Box-Cox transformation, ARMA errors, Trend and Seasonal components (BATS), and Trigonometric seasonality BATS (TBATS). Forty-nine submissions were evaluated by the organizers and compared with…
Forest road planning to improve tourism accessibility: a comparison of different methods applied in a real case study
2022
Forest road planning with the available tools, e.g. PEGGER and GIS, still requires a lot of time of an expert, and the designed roads are not guaranteed to be efficient in terms of the cost or suitability of the road. In this article, we propose a novel Genetic Algorithm (GA) based method for forest road planning. To do so, each road is represented as a sequence of fixed and variable (control) points. A novel objective (fitness) function is defined based on the length, gradient, and suitability of the roads (individuals). The proposed algorithm is applied to the Arasbaran forest area and the resulted roads are compared with PEGGER-designed roads regarding length, Bachmund index, accessibili…
Bio-based chitosan and cellulose ionic liquid gels: polymeric soft materials for the desulfurization of fuel
2022
Desulfurization of fuel that avoids the introduction in the atmosphere of toxic sulfur volatile compounds, usually formed during combustion, is a viable strategy to reduce pollution. To find new efficient and eco-sustainable adsorbent materials, bio-based polymers such as chitosan (CS), cellulose (CE) and cellulose acetate (CEOAc) were dissolved in ionic liquids (ILs) to form ionic liquid gels (ILGs). Gelling and swelling ability, porosity, morphology, rheology and mechanical response were studied as a function of the polymer and ionic liquid (IL) used. The best performing gels were tested for fuel desulfurization using a fuel mimicking solution of thiophene (T), benzothiophene (BT) and dib…
Continuity correction of pearson’s chi-square test in 2x2 contingency tables: A mini-review on recent development
2022
The Pearson’s chi-square test represents a nonparametric test more used in Biomedicine and Social Sciences, but it introduces an error for 2 x 2 contingency tables, when a discrete probability distribution is approximated with a continuous distribution. The first author to introduce the continuity correction of Pearson’s chi-square test has been Yates F. (1934). Unfortunately, Yates’s correction may tend to overcorrect of p-value, this can implicate an overly conservative result. Therefore many authors have introduced variants Pearson’s chi-square statistic, as alternative continuity correction to Yates’s correction. The goal of this paper is to describe the most recent continuity correctio…
Can We Do Better Next Time? Italians' Response to the COVID-19 Emergency through a Heuristics and Biases Lens.
2022
During the outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy, people often failed to adopt behaviors that could have stopped, or at least slowed down, the spread of this deadly disease. We offer cognitive explanations for these decisions, based on some of the most common heuristics and biases that are known to influence human judgment and decision-making, especially under conditions of high uncertainty. Our analysis concludes with the following recommendations: policymakers can and should take advantage of this established science, in order to communicate more effectively and increase the likelihood that people choose responsible actions in a public health crisis.
Mitä on tutkiva mielikuvitus?
2022
Sanna Ryynänen & Anni Rannikko: Tutkiva mielikuvitus — Luovat, osallistuvat ja toiminnalliset tutkimusmenetelmät yhteiskuntatieteissä. Gaudeamus, Helsinki 2021. 328 s.
 Sosiologi C. Wright Mills esittää klassikkoteoksessaan Sosiologinen mielikuvitus (2015), että hyvä yhteiskuntatieteellinen tutkimus edellyttää mielikuvituksellista kykyä liikkua eri näkökulmien välillä ja tunnistaa olennaisia kysymyksiä myös teemoissa, joiden tutkimus voi vaikuttaa alkuun vähäpätöiseltä. Nykyisin yhteiskuntatieteissä tunnustetaan laaja-alaisesti tällaisen sosiologisen mielikuvituksen tarpeellisuus, mutta näkökulman menetelmällinen perustelu ja metodologisointi itsessään on edelleen hankalaa. Minkäla…
Particle energization in colliding subcritical collisionless shocks investigated in the laboratory
2022
Context. Colliding collisionless shocks appear across a broad variety of astrophysical phenomena and are thought to be possible sources of particle acceleration in the Universe. Aims. The main goal of our experimental and computational work is to understand the effect of the interpenetration between two subcritical collisionless shocks on particle energization. Methods. To investigate the detailed dynamics of this phenomenon, we performed a dedicated laboratory experiment. We generated two counter-streaming subcritical collisionless magnetized shocks by irradiating two Teflon (C2F4) targets with 100 J, 1 ns laser beams on the LULI2000 laser facility. The interaction region between the plasm…
Development of new dairy products using raw ewe’s milk to produce a “Swiss” type cheese
2022
Exploring pre-service special needs teachers’ assessment conceptions and assessment self-efficacy
2022
This survey study (N = 148) investigates the interrelationships between assessment conceptions, assessment self-efficacy, prior education, and teaching experience amongst Finnish pre-service special educational needs teachers (pre-service SENs). The results showed that assessment conceptions and assessment self-efficacy are intertwined. Assessment conceptions, prior studies, and teaching experience were clustered into three different pre-service SEN types: Assessment Positives, Assessment Cautious, and Assessment Criticals. Pre-service SENs with assessment-positive or assessment-cautious conceptions reported higher assessment self-efficacy than students with assessment-critical conceptions.…
Use of Hanseniaspora uvarum and a novel strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from manna ash to produce loquat beer
2022
Controlling magnetism through Ising superconductivity in magnetic van der Waals heterostructures
2022
Van der Waals heterostructures have risen as a tunable platform to combine different electronic orders, due to the flexibility in stacking different materials with competing symmetry broken states. Among them, van der Waals ferromagnets such as CrI3 and superconductors as NbSe2 provide a natural platform to engineer novel phenomena at ferromagnet-superconductor interfaces. In particular, NbSe2 is well known for hosting strong spin-orbit coupling effects that influence the properties of the superconducting state. Here we put forward a ferromagnet/NbSe2/ferromagnet heterostructure where the interplay between Ising superconductivity in NbSe2 and magnetism controls the magnetic alignment of the…
Briganti, Longhi und «La Maniera italiana» (1961)
2022
Due inedite testimonianze di Giuliano Briganti e Roberto Longhi gettano luce sul ruolo che lo storico dell'arte assume tanto nella fase di raccolta del materiale iconografico, quanto nella definizione della 'temperatura' del colorito durante la fase di stampa. Il Manierismo, così come si presenta nel volume che Briganti pubblica nel 1961 con Editori Riuniti (Roma) e Verlag der Kunst (Dresden), è un'avanguardia decadentista dal cromatismo inquietante e freddo. Two previously unpublished testimonies by Giuliano Briganti and Roberto Longhi shed light on the role of the art historian in both the collection of iconographic material and the definition of the 'temperature' of colour during the pri…
HCC surveillance improves early detection, curative treatment receipt, and survival in patients with cirrhosis: A meta-analysis
2022
Background & Aims: There is controversy regarding the overall value of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance in patients with cirrhosis given the lack of data from randomized-controlled trials. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies evaluating the benefits and harms of HCC surveillance in patients with cirrhosis. Methods: We performed a search of the Medline and EMBASE databases and national meeting abstracts from January 2014 through July 2020 for studies reporting early-stage HCC detection, curative treatment receipt, or overall survival, stratified by HCC surveillance status, among patients with cirrhosis. Pooled risk ratios …
The new HFA/ICOS risk assessment tool to identify patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia at high risk of cardiotoxicity
2022
AimsTyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) used to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) can cause cardiovascular adverseevents. So far, the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) charts of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) have beenused to identify cancer patients at increased cardiovascular risk. The primary aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulnessof the new cardiovascular risk assessment model proposed by the Cardio-Oncology Study Group of the Heart Failure Associ-ation (HFA) of the ESC in collaboration with the International Cardio-Oncology Society (ICOS) to stratify the cardiovascular riskin CML patients, compared with SCORE risk charts. The secondary aim was to establish…
Demographic and Psychosocial Characteristics of Lung Transplant Candidates: Single-Center Analysis
2022
Background. Lung transplantation has changed the course of treatment of lung diseases for the better; however, there are various factors that should be considered to increase the probability of a better outcome. Factors such as the patient’s background, level of education, and income could affect their perception and eventually the results of the procedure. Methods. The present study involved patients who underwent the qualification process for lung transplant along with psychological and sociologic assessment at the Lung Transplant Unit in the Department of Cardiac Surgery and Vascular Surgery, Medical University of Gdansk. The following data were identified in the patients’ medical histor…
The Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-an…
2022
The COVID-19 pandemic may have a disproportionate impact on people with dementia/mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to isolation and loss of services. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in people living with dementia/MCI. Two authors searched major electronic databases from inception to June 2021 for observational studies investigating COVID-19 and NPS in people with dementia/MCI. Summary estimates of mean differences in NPS scores pre- versus post-COVID-19 were calculated using a random-effects model, weighting cases using inverse variance. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed by the Newcastl…
IL-10 and TGF-β1 gene polymorphisms in Greek patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
2022
Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is one of the most frequent inflammatory disorders of the oral mucosa. Cytokines, which play an important role in RAS pathogenesis, participate directly or indirectly in normal, immunological and inflammatory processes and are secreted from cells belonging to innate and adaptive immunity as a consequence of microbial and antigenic stimuli. Gene polymorphisms in specific cytokines may predispose to RAS development. The aim of this study was the investigation and association of IL-10 and TGF-β1 gene polymorphisms with RAS.Study's cohort consisted of 60 Greek patients diagnosed with RAS, including 40 patients with minor, 10 patients with major and 10 with he…
Oncological Outcomes of Primary vs. Salvage OPHL Type II: A Systematic Review
2022
Background: Open partial horizontal laryngectomy type II (OPHL type II) has two main aims: oncological radicality and laryngeal preservation. The aim of this review is to define and emphasize the oncological efficacy of OPHL type II, both as primary and salvage surgery, by analyzing the latest literature. Methods: The research was carried out on Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science databases, by using strict keywords. Oncological outcomes were evaluated by the following parameters: overall survival, disease-specific survival, disease-free survival, local control, laryngeal preservation, local recurrence. Results: The review included 19 articles divided into three groups: (1) primary OPHL type …