showing 36 of ~574560 from 574555 documents
Testing the Dispersion of Nanoparticles in a Nanocomposite with an Ultra-Low Fill Content Using a Novel Non-Destructive Evaluation Technique
2022
A non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique capable of testing the dispersion of nanoparticles in a nanocomposite would be of great use to the industry to check the quality of the products made and to ensure compliance with their specifications. Very few NDE techniques found in the literature can evaluate the level of dispersion of the nanoparticles in the whole nanocomposite. Here, a recently developed NDE technique based on pulsed phase thermography (PPT) in transmission mode was used to assess the particle dispersion in ultra-low, less than 0.05 wt%, Ag enriched polymeric based nanocomposite manufactured with an innovative nano-coating fragmentation technique. The phasegrams obtained wi…
Effects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Lung Function in Children with Asthma: A Mediation Analysis.
2022
Studies investigating the association between urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and asthma in children provided inhomogeneous results. We aimed to use Mediation Analysis to discover whether a link between urinary PAHs and lung function exists and if it might be ascribed to a direct or a symptom-mediated (indirect) effect in children with asthma. This single-center prospective study was conducted in Palermo, Italy, between March and July 2017 and involved 50 children with persistent mild-moderate asthma, aged 6–11 years. At each time visit (day 0, 30, 60, and 90), physical examination, spirometry, and urine collection for detection of urinary cotinine and PAHs were performed. A…
Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Halloysite Nanotubes: From General Aspects to Technological Applications
2022
Besides surfactants, which decrease the interfacial tension between two immiscible liquids, also interfacially active particles can successfully stabilize an emulsion system by attaching at the liquid–liquid interface. The preparation of the resulting Pickering emulsions has been so far investigated starting from the study of the interactions arising between the dispersed droplets and the stabilizers, till the application of these systems in a wide range of different fields. This work is intended to provide an overall overview about the development of Pickering emulsions by considering the most general aspects and scanning the diverse types of solid stabilizers. Among them, Halloysite nanot…
Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Inflammatory Parameters: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
2022
Magnesium (Mg) may have several beneficial effects on human health outcomes. One hypothesized mechanism eliciting such effects is the action of Mg on serum inflammatory parameters. However, studies on this topic to date have several important limitations. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the current state of the art of all randomized control trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of Mg supplementation versus placebo on serum parameters of inflammation. We searched several databases until 23rd November 2021 for RCTs. Eligible studies were RCTs investigating the effect of oral Mg supplementation vs. placebo and having serum inflammatory markers as…
Mixed Fault Classification of Sensorless PMSM Drive in Dynamic Operations Based on External Stray Flux Sensors
2022
This paper aims to classify local demagnetisation and inter-turn short-circuit (ITSC) on position sensorless permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) in transient states based on external stray flux and learning classifier. Within the framework, four supervised machine learning tools were tested: ensemble decision tree (EDT), k-nearest neighbours (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), and feedforward neural network (FNN). All algorithms are trained on datasets from one operational profile but tested on other different operation profiles. Their input features or spectrograms are computed from resampled time-series data based on the estimated position of the rotor from one stray flux sensor t…
Deep Learning Networks for Automatic Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Segmentation in Computerized Tomography
2022
The volume estimation of retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) is often difficult due to its huge dimensions and irregular shape; thus, it often requires manual segmentation, which is time-consuming and operator-dependent. This study aimed to evaluate two fully automated deep learning networks (ENet and ERFNet) for RPS segmentation. This retrospective study included 20 patients with RPS who received an abdominal computed tomography (CT) examination. Forty-nine CT examinations, with a total of 72 lesions, were included. Manual segmentation was performed by two radiologists in consensus, and automatic segmentation was performed using ENet and ERFNet. Significant differences between manual and automat…
Clinical Utility of a Unique Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Signature for KMT2A-Related Syndrome
2022
Wiedemann–Steiner syndrome (WDSTS) is a Mendelian syndromic intellectual disability (ID) condition associated with hypertrichosis cubiti, short stature, and characteristic facies caused by pathogenic variants in the KMT2A gene. Clinical features can be inconclusive in mild and unusual WDSTS presentations with variable ID (mild to severe), facies (typical or not) and other associated malformations (bone, cerebral, renal, cardiac and ophthalmological anomalies). Interpretation and classification of rare KMT2A variants can be challenging. A genome-wide DNA methylation episignature for KMT2A-related syndrome could allow functional classification of variants and provide insights into the pathoph…
Strain Switching in van der Waals Heterostructures triggered by a Spin-Crossover Metal Organic Framework
2022
Van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) combine different layered materials with properties of interest,1 such as two-dimensional (2D) semimetals, semiconductors, magnets or superconductors. These heterostructures provide the possibility of engineering new materials with emergent functionalities that are not accessible in another way. Beyond inorganic 2D materials, layered molecular materials remain still rather unexplored, with only few examples regarding their isolation as atomically thin-layers. By a proper chemical design, the physical properties of these systems can be tuned, as illustrated by the so-called spin-crossover (SCO) compounds, in which a spin transition can be induced by app…
Physical, chemical and mechanical evolution of the fuel-cladding interface in irradiated PWR fuel rods
2022
During the fuel irradiation in nuclear reactor, the fuel-cladding assembly is exposed to several irradiation-induced modifications. The fuel swelling coupled with cladding creep leads to a contact between the fuel and the cladding. The oxygen transport from the UO2 fuel to the zirconium layer induces progressively the Zr-cladding oxidation. This oxidation is initially local with the formation of islets. Then, with the increasing burnup of the fuel, it conducts to a continuous layer of about 8-µm thickness, localized at the fuel-cladding interface. At high burnup, zirconia growths anchor themselves in the periphery of the fuel (which is restructured) leading to pellet/cladding interlocking. …
Ohjausvuorovaikutuksen laatu ja esiopettajien työhyvinvointi: kontekstitekijöiden ja työstä palautumisen merkitys
2022
Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, missä määrin ohjausvuorovaikutuksen laatu ja esiopettajien työhyvinvointi (koettu stressi ja työstä palautuminen) vaihtelevat suhteessa esiopetuksen kontekstitekijöihin eli esiopetuksen toteutuspaikkaan (päiväkoti tai koulu), ryhmäkokoon ja esiopettajan työkokemukseen. Lisäksi selvitettiin, muuntaako esiopettajien työstä palautuminen ohjausvuorovaikutuksen laadun ja koetun stressin välisiä yhteyksiä esiopetusvuoden aikana. Tutkimukseen osallistui 47 esiopettajaa esiopetusvuoden syksyllä ja keväällä. Ohjausvuorovaikutuksen laatua arvioitiin CLASS Pre-K –havainnointityökalun avulla kolmella osa-alueella: tunnetuki, toiminnan organisointi ja ohjauks…
Recensione a G.Terranova, Il ragionamento giuridico
2022
Recensione al libro di Giuseppe Terranova, Il ragionamento giuridico, Giuffrè Lefebvre, 2021
Archaeometric study of execution techniques of white Attic vases: the case of the Perseus crater in Agrigento
2022
The white ground crater by the Phiale Painter (450–440 BC) exhibited in the “Pietro Griffo” Archaeological Museum in Agrigento (Italy) depicts two scenes from Perseus myth. The vase is of utmost importance to archaeologists because the figures are drawn on a white background with remarkable daintiness and attention to detail. Notwithstanding the white ground ceramics being well documented from an archaeological and historical point of view, doubts concerning the compositions of pigments and binders and the production technique are still unsolved. This kind of vase is a valuable rarity, the use of which is documented in elitist funeral rituals. The study aims to investigate the constituent m…
Interaction in context : Guest editorial
2022
The value of children’s daily interactions in early childhood settings is currently unquestionable. Substantial evidence has shown that interactions are the key drivers for child development and well-being. Still, a number of pressing issues calls for further research. Given their dynamic and reciprocal nature, interactions are highly complex, multimodal and multifaceted, and they are experienced by several individuals, which produces conceptual and methodological challenges. Moreover, although interactions are often examined at the group level, they are always embedded in specific cultural contexts that are part of broader early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems that are guided b…
Persistent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Patient With Non-hodgkin Lymphoma: Intra-Host Genomic Diversity Analysis
2022
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic, threatening global public health. Several cases of persistent infection have been described, but there are few reports that compared the genetic variability among samples collected from the patient during infection. In the current study, we reported a viral genetic analysis of a diabetic male patient with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma affected by persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection. We sequenced the patient-derived viral isolated both from oro/nasopharyngeal swab and VeroE6 cell line, collected from the same patient at different points of the infection. Due to the insufficient material of the second swab received, in…
Bioactive Scaffolds Based on Amine-Functionalized Gellan Gum for the Osteogenic Differentiation of Gingival Mesenchymal Stem Cells
2022
With the aim to produce a cellularized construct for the guided bone regeneration of dento-alveolar defects, here we produce a porous scaffold using an amine derivative of gellan gum to host gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) and allow their osteochondral differentiation. Three derivatives were produced by using the same synthetic procedure, and the viscoelastic properties of their aqueous dispersions were investigated and compared to those of the native polysaccharide to choose the derivative with suitable properties for the scaffold production. Freeze-drying was used to obtain a porous sponge that can be rehydrated with the cells’ suspension to produce an implantable cell containing …
A systematic review of the effectiveness of dry needling in subacromial syndrome
2022
Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of dry needling (DN) combined with conventional physiotherapy in the recovery of patients with subacromial syndrome (SAS). A search was made of the main open access health science databases. The publication date was not limited for systematic reviews but was for randomized clinical trials (RCTs), which were limited to the last five years (from 2016) in English or in Spanish. Ninety-four studies were selected. In order to assess the quality of the studies, the JADAD scale or Oxford quality scoring system was used. A total of 402 patients were analyzed in all the studies in which the application of conventional physiotherapy was compared to the DN, ei…
First occurrence of the needle-spined urchin Diadema setosum (Leske, 1778) (Echinodermata, Diadematidae) in the southern Mediterranean Sea
2022
The first occurrence of Diadema setosum in the southern Mediterranean waters is recorded from the shores of Libya and Egypt, through the input by citizens’ science. The expansion of this invasive sea urchin in the Mediterranean basin is briefly discussed.
Effects of rehabilitative psychotherapy on labour market success: Evaluation of a nationwide programme
2022
Aims: Psychotherapy is a widely used treatment for mental disorders, but whether it also improves employment and other labour market outcomes remains inconclusive. This study examined the effectiveness of a nationwide subsidized psychotherapy programme using extensive register-based data. Methods: The sample consisted of individuals who applied for rehabilitative psychotherapy in Finland in 2009–2012 ( n = 35,083). Prior to 2011, some applications were rejected due to the limited budget that the central government provided for the programme. From 2011, all eligible applicants were granted rehabilitation. We used propensity score matching to create balanced samples of those who received a ne…
Relational approach to infant-teacher lap interactions during the transition from home to early childhood education and care
2022
The transition from home care to early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a period of intense change and development in young children's socio-spatial worlds. This article focuses on infant–teacher lap interactions during this transition period. This investigation applies a relational approach to the study of infant–teacher lap interactions. In doing so, it highlights the inherently social and contextual nature of interaction. From a relational perspective, actors, context, and situation are seen as constitutive of each other, and their interrelationality is considered central to the emergence of interactions. The data, regarding infants' first months attending ECEC in Finland, is compo…
Intercomparison of methods to estimate GPP based on CO<sub>2</sub> and COS flux measurements
2022
Abstract. Knowing the components of ecosystem scale carbon exchange is crucial in order to develop better models and future predictions of the terrestrial carbon cycle. However, there are several uncertainties and unknowns related to current photosynthesis estimates. In this study, we test the use of four different methods for quantifying photosynthesis at the ecosystem scale, of which two are based on carbon dioxide (CO2) and two on carbonyl sulfide (COS) flux measurements. The CO2-based methods use traditional flux partitioning and artificial neural networks to separate the net CO2 flux into respiration and photosynthesis. The COS-based methods make use of a unique five year COS flux data…
Practical Considerations for the Daratumumab Management in Portuguese Routine Clinical Practice: Recommendations From an Expert Panel of Hematologists
2022
The recent therapeutic progress in multiple myeloma (MM) has led to the introduction of novel and highly potent drug classes. Daratumumab was the first CD38-targeting antibody showing to be effective and safe in MM patients as monotherapy and in combination regimens, which led to its rapid implementation in clinical practice. Considering that treatment discontinuation for drug-related adverse events can impact patients’ quality of life and outcomes, the treatment decision should consider different factors and be weighted for each patient individually. Here, we aimed to guide clinicians using daratumumab treatment for MM by addressing practical real-world considerations based on an expert pa…
Facts and controversies regarding oral health in Parkinson's disease: A case-control study in Spanish patients.
2022
Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the leading neurological disorders, affecting more than 6 million people worldwide. These patients present motor and non-motor symptoms, including oral pathology. The objective of this research is to determine the oral health of patients diagnosed with PD, in order to stablish a specific preventive oral health programme. Material and methods: Case-control study on 104 PD and 106 control patients. The pre-designed clinical protocol included a complete oral examination on general aspects, standardised epidemiological index for caries, periodontal disease and edentulism, analysis of oral hygiene, presence of mucous/ salivary/ functional disorder, …
Maladaptive music listening strategies are modulated by individual traits
2022
Music listening is a great resource for mental well-being, pleasure, and self-regulation, but it may also be maladaptive. Depression, for instance, has been shown to relate to music use that is characterized by rumination, avoidance, and mood worsening. However, we know little of the role of individual differences in such maladaptive music use. Hence, this study focused on examining the role of personality, empathic traits, emotional contagion, and the types of musical reward as predictors of maladaptive music listening. Participants ( N = 318) answered an online survey comprising measures for the abovementioned traits in addition to the Healthy-Unhealthy Music Scale (HUMS) as a measure of…
Non-HLA Antibodies in Hand Transplant Recipients Are Connected to Multiple Acute Rejection Episodes and Endothelial Activation
2022
The role of anti-HLA antibodies in transplant rejection is well-known but the injury associated with non-HLA antibodies is now widely discussed. The aim of our study was to investigate a role of non-HLA antibodies in hand allografts rejection. The study was performed on six patients after hand transplantation. The control group consisted of: 12 kidney transplant recipients and 12 healthy volunteers. The following non-HLA antibodies were tested: antibody against angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R-Ab), antibody against endothelin-1 type-A-receptor (ETAR-Ab), antibody against protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR-1-Ab) and anti-VEGF-A antibody (VEGF-A-Ab). Chosen proinflammatory cytokines (Il-1…
Metabolomics: An Emerging Approach to Understand Pathogenesis and to Assess Diagnosis and Response to Treatment in Spondyloarthritis
2022
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of rheumatic diseases whose pathogenesis relies on a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Over the last several years, the importance of the alteration of the gut microbiota, known as dysbiosis, and the interaction of bacterial products with host immunity have been highlighted as intriguing key players in SpA development. The recent advent of the so called “-omics” sciences, that include metabolomics, opened the way to a new approach to SpA through a deeper characterisation of the pathogenetic mechanisms behind the disease. In addition, metabolomics can reveal potential new biomarkers to diagnose and monitor SpA patients. The aim of…
Intercomparison of methods to estimate GPP based on CO2 and COS flux measurements
2022
Knowing the components of ecosystem scale carbon exchange is crucial in order to develop better models and future predictions of the terrestrial carbon cycle. However, there are several uncertainties and unknowns related to current photosynthesis estimates. In this study, we test the use of four different methods for quantifying photosynthesis at the ecosystem scale, of which two are based on carbon dioxide (CO2) and two on carbonyl sulfide (COS) flux measurements. The CO2-based methods use traditional flux partitioning and artificial neural networks to separate the net CO2 flux into respiration and photosynthesis. The COS-based methods make use of a unique five year COS flux data set at a …
Networks as mediating variables: a Bayesian latent space approach
2022
AbstractThe use of network analysis to investigate social structures has recently seen a rise due to the high availability of data and the numerous insights it can provide into different fields. Most analyses focus on the topological characteristics of networks and the estimation of relationships between the nodes. We adopt a different perspective by considering the whole network as a random variable conveying the effect of an exposure on a response. This point of view represents a classical mediation setting, where the interest lies in estimating the indirect effect, that is, the effect propagated through the mediating variable. We introduce a latent space model mapping the network into a …
Identification of atrial fibrillation drivers by means of concentric ring electrodes
2022
The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) has tripled in the last 50 years due to population aging. High-frequency (DFdriver) activated atrial regions lead the activation of the rest of the atria, disrupting the propagation wavefront. Fourier based spectral analysis of body surface potential maps have been proposed for DFdriver identification, although these approaches present serious drawbacks due to their limited spectral resolution for short AF epochs and the blurring effect of the volume conductor. Laplacian signals (BC-ECG) from bipolar concentric ring electrodes (CRE) have been shown to outperform the spatial resolution achieved with conventional unipolar recordings. Our aimed was to…
Co-circulation of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Gamma variants in Italy, February and March 2021
2022
Background Several SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) have emerged through 2020 and 2021. There is need for tools to estimate the relative transmissibility of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 with respect to circulating strains. Aim We aimed to assess the prevalence of co-circulating VOC in Italy and estimate their relative transmissibility. Methods We conducted two genomic surveillance surveys on 18 February and 18 March 2021 across the whole Italian territory covering 3,243 clinical samples and developed a mathematical model that describes the dynamics of co-circulating strains. Results The Alpha variant was already dominant on 18 February in a majority of regions/autonomous provinces (…
Plant communities, synusiae and the arithmetic of a sustainable classification
2022
We propose an equation to evaluate the efficiency of a classification as a function of the effort required and the population size of data collectors. The formula postulates a “classification efficiency coefficient”, which relates not only to the complexity of the object to be classified, but also to the data availability and representativeness. When applied to the classification of phytocoenoses, the equation suggests that a classification system based on vascular plants offers the best compromise between sampling effort, resolution power and data availability. We discuss the possibility of basing a vegetation classification on plot records for all macroscopic photoautotrophic organisms co…
Latvian-Brazilian meeting on Active and Soft Matter Physics: Book of Abstracts, Thursday, 3 February 2022, 15:00, Online
2022
This abstract book is made for the Latvian-Brazilian meeting on Active and Soft Matter Physics, held on February 3, 2022. It was organized by the MMML lab (Lab of Magnetic Soft Materials) of the University of Latvia together with the Condensed Matter Physics Group of the Federal University of Ceará (Fortaleza, Brazil) as a part of the 80th International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia. It includes topical contributions from researchers working on active and soft matter physics at both research groups.
Chemosensory Receptors in the Larval Maxilla of Papilio hospiton
2022
Among the butterflies of the genus Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), Papilio hospiton (Géné) has a geographical distribution limited to the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France). This is mainly due to the host range that includes only a few plant species of Apiaceae and Rutaceae growing on these islands. In a previous electrophysiological investigation conducted on the maxillary gustatory system of larvae of P. hospiton and its closely phylogenetically related species Papilio machaon, a significantly higher spike activity was shown for the gustatory neurons of lateral and medial styloconic sensilla in P. hospiton when bitter compounds were tested. This effect was…
When did biopolitics begin? : Actuality and potentiality in historical events
2022
The article addresses the ongoing debate about the origins of biopolitics. While Foucault’s analysis of biopolitics approached it as a modern rationality of government, Agamben’s Homo Sacer series presented biopolitics as having a longer provenance, dating back to the antiquity. These polar positions are not mutually exclusive but coexist in these and other theories of biopolitics, which approach its object as both modern and ancient, having its chronological origin in the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries yet also possessing a prehistory of precursors. The article interprets this dual origin in terms of Paolo Virno’s theory of historical temporality, which distinguishes between the chron…
Pre-operative leukocytosis: a potential poor prognosis risk factor in cardiac device implantation: a case report
2022
Introduction. Despite the benefits of the implantation of cardiac rhythm management devices cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection is an emerging problem New debate emerged about the unclear role of the pre-operative alteration of pro-inflammatory parameters, such as leukocytosis, in the development CIED infection and/or heart failure, and its consequent impact on the timing of ICD implantation/reimplantation. Case report. A 65 years old patient with a history of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) type II, ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias, chronic myocardial ischemia, heart failure was admitted to hospital.Healthcare workers opted for ICD implantation despite the presence of…
LR-NIMBUS : an interactive algorithm for uncertain multiobjective optimization with lightly robust efficient solutions
2022
In this paper, we develop an interactive algorithm to support a decision maker to find a most preferred lightly robust efficient solution when solving uncertain multiobjective optimization problems. It extends the interactive NIMBUS method. The main idea underlying the designed algorithm, called LR-NIMBUS, is to ask the decision maker for a most acceptable (typical) scenario, find an efficient solution for this scenario satisfying the decision maker, and then apply the derived efficient solution to generate a lightly robust efficient solution. The preferences of the decision maker are incorporated through classifying the objective functions. A lightly robust efficient solution is generated …
Plants in the UK flower a month earlier under recent warming.
2022
Global temperatures are rising at an unprecedented rate, but environmental responses are often difficult to recognize and quantify. Long-term observations of plant phenology, the annually recurring sequence of plant developmental stages, can provide sensitive measures of climate change and important information for ecosystem services. Here, we present 419 354 recordings of the first flowering date from 406 plant species in the UK between 1753 and 2019 CE. Community-wide first flowering advanced by almost one month on average when comparing all observations before and after 1986 ( p < 0.0001). The mean first flowering time is 6 days earlier in southern than northern sites, 5 days earlier…