The thermoplastic techniques or single-cone technique on the quality of root canal filling with tricalcium silicate-based sealer: An integrative revi…

2022

The filling of the root canal system (RCS) is an important step in endodontic treatment and aims to obtain a three-dimensional sealing of the root canal spaces to prevent bacterial contamination. For this, the selection of an appropriate sealer must be performed synchronously with the choice of the root canal filling technique. This study aims, through an integrative review, to evaluate the quality of root canal filling by comparing thermoplastic and single-cone (SC) techniques.The Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Virtual Health Library (VHL) databases were used to find articles published until November 2021. The eligibility criteria comprised articles that evaluating the quality …

Clique Percolation Method: Memory Efficient Almost Exact Communities

2022

Automatic detection of relevant groups of nodes in large real-world graphs, i.e. community detection, has applications in many fields and has received a lot of attention in the last twenty years. The most popular method designed to find overlapping communities (where a node can belong to several communities) is perhaps the clique percolation method (CPM). This method formalizes the notion of community as a maximal union of $k$-cliques that can be reached from each other through a series of adjacent $k$-cliques, where two cliques are adjacent if and only if they overlap on $k-1$ nodes. Despite much effort CPM has not been scalable to large graphs for medium values of $k$. Recent work has sho…

Ion beam intensity and phase space measurement techniques for ion sources.

2022

Ion sources produce beams used in accelerators and other applications. Both development and use of ion sources need beam diagnostics to probe the plasma processes and beam formation for optimization purposes and to produce beam parameters needed for transport tuning. These diagnostics include beam intensity measurements usually carried out with Faraday cups or inductive pickups, magnetic separation, profile measurements with scintillation screens and wires, and phase space measurements with different types of emittance scanners. peerReviewed

Anatomical distribution of sentinel lymph nodes in patients with endometrial cancer: a multicenter study.

2022

ObjectiveSentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping represents the standard approach in uterine confined endometrial cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anatomical distribution of SLNs and the most frequent locations of nodal metastasis.MethodsThis was an observational retrospective multicenter study involving eight high volume gynecologic cancer centers in Italy. We reviewed 1576 patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of endometrial cancer from September 2015 to June 2020. All patients underwent total hysterectomy with salpingo-ophorectomy and SLN mapping.ResultsA total of 3105 SLNs were mapped and removed, 2809 (90.5%) of these were bilateral and 296 (9.5%) unila…

Dissecting the Mechanism of Action of Spiperone—A Candidate for Drug Repurposing for Colorectal Cancer

2022

Approximately 50% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients still die from recurrence and metastatic disease, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies. Drug repurposing is attracting increasing attention because, compared to traditional de novo drug discovery processes, it may reduce drug development periods and costs. Epidemiological and preclinical evidence support the antitumor activity of antipsychotic drugs. Herein, we dissect the mechanism of action of the typical antipsychotic spiperone in CRC. Spiperone can reduce the clonogenic potential of stem-like CRC cells (CRC-SCs) and induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, in both differentiated and CRC-SCs, at clinically relevant co…

Tumours of Nasal Septum: A Retrospective Study of 32 Patients

2022

Objective: Tumours of the nasal septum are a rare and heterogeneous group of lesions in the sinonasal tract. The management of the different lesions of this site is debated. The aim of this study is to share our experience on a rare clinical condition and stimulate other centres to publish theirs. Methods: We retrospectively analysed the databases of sinonasal tumours treated at the Sections of Otolaryngology (ENT) of two University Hospitals (Palermo and Genova) between 2012 and 2020. Results: From the two databases, a cohort of 32 patients with tumours of nasal septum were selected. All patients underwent an endoscopic examination. Large tumours underwent preoperative computed tomography …

The CHRONOS Real-World Evidence of Biologic Treatments in Psoriatic Arthritis in Italy: A Post Hoc Gender Analysis

2022

: Background: Phenotypic features and outcome differences between sexes have been reported in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). However, little is known about sex differences in effectiveness of biologics in clinical practice. Methods: Post hoc gender analysis of the CHRONOS, a multicenter, noninterventional, retroprospective Italian real-world study assessing 6-month and 1-year effectiveness of biologics for PsA. Results: Eligible patients were 399, 43.1% men. Sociodemographic characteristics, type of arthritis, baseline Disease Activity Score 28 joints (DAS28), and duration of biologic treatment were rather homogeneous. More men were overweight/obese and naive to biologics. The most frequently u…

Contraceptive methods and knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases in nursing students. Results from a survey conducted at the University of Palermo

2022


 Background: The main purpose of the study was to evaluatesexual habits, sexual relations and knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among the students in the nursing science course of University of Palermo, and to evaluate the use of contraceptive methods. 
 Methods: In April 2019, a survey was provided to students who attend daily lessons in the nursing science course of University of Palermo, that investigate primarily about sexual habits, sexual relations and knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases. A multivariable logistic regression was performed. 
 Results: The sample size consists of 405 students. The average age of the sample is 21.65 years, 69.63% o…

Risk of progression to diabetes and mortality in older people with prediabetes: The English longitudinal study on ageing

2022

Abstract Aims Prediabetes is used to identify people at increased risk for diabetes. However, the importance of prediabetes in older populations is still poorly explored. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of prediabetes, based on either glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels or fasting glucose (FG) levels, or both and the progression of prediabetes to diabetes or to mortality in older participants of the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Materials and methods Prediabetes was categorized based on HbA1c levels (5.7%–6.4%) and/or FG levels (5.6–7.0 mmol/L). Information regarding mortality and incident diabetes were recorded during follow-up period of 10 years. Results In 2027 …

Retroperitoneal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Involving the Pelvic Side Wall Arising from Endometriosis: A Case Report

2022

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising from endometriosis is very rare. Moreover, endometriosis located on the pelvic side wall is uncommon, while its cancerization is quite unusual. We herein report the first case of retroperitoneal SCC arising from endometriosis. <b><i>Case Presentation:</i></b> A case of a 52-year-old woman with retroperitoneal pararectal right mass is presented. The pelvic magnetic resonance imaging showed a retroperitoneal tumor extended to the right pelvic side wall. The neuropelveological examination completed the preoperative assessment, showing a right-sided sciatica and overactive bladder s…

Commonalities and distinctions between two neurodevelopmental disorder subtypes associated with SCN2A and SCN8A variants and literature review.

2022

This study was aimed to analyze the commonalities and distinctions of voltage-gated sodium channels, Nav1.2, Nav1.6, in neurodevelopmental disorders. An observational study was performed including two patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. The demographic, electroclinical, genetic, and neuropsychological characteristics were analyzed and compared with each other and then with the subjects carrying the same genetic variants reported in the literature. The clinical features of one of them argued for autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay, the other for intellectual disability, diagnoses confirmed by the neuropsychological assessment. The first patient was a carrier of SCN2A (p.…

Diagnostic techniques of minimum-B ECR ion source plasma instabilities.

2022

The performance of a minimum-B Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS) is traditionally quantified by measuring the beam current and quality of the extracted ion beams of different charge state ions. The stability of the extracted ion beam currents has drawn more attention recently as the technology is pushing its limits toward higher ion charge states and beam intensities. The stability of the extracted beam is often compromised by plasma instabilities manifesting themselves as rapid oscillations of the beam currents in millisecond scale. This paper focuses on practical aspects of diagnostics techniques of the instabilities, showcases examples of instability-related diagnostics sig…

The Right-Wing Critique of Europe. Nationalist, Sovereignist and Right-Wing Populist Attitudes to the EU

2022

Online Research and Comprehension Performance Profiles Among Sixth-Grade Students, Including Those with Reading Difficulties and/or Attention and Exe…

2022

This study identified online research and comprehension (ORC) performance profiles of 436 sixth-grade students (206 girls) aged 12–13 years. We included learner groups with different learning-related difficulties and explored how students’ reading habits were represented in various performance profiles. First, students’ ORC performance was examined with a validated web-based assessment measuring their skills in locating, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating information. Second, reading fluency and teacher-rated attention and executive function (EF) difficulty scores were used to form learner groups: (1) students with reading difficulties, (2) students with attention and EF difficulti…

Bayesian subcohort selection for longitudinal covariate measurements in follow‐up studies

2022

We propose an approach for the planning of longitudinal covariate measurements in follow-up studies where covariates are time-varying. We assume that the entire cohort cannot be selected for longitudinal measurements due to financial limitations, and study how a subset of the cohort should be selected optimally, in order to obtain precise estimates of covariate effects in a survival model. In our approach, the study will be designed sequentially utilizing the data collected in previous measurements of the individuals as prior information. We propose using a Bayesian optimality criterion in the subcohort selections, which is compared with simple random sampling using simulated and real follo…

In divenire, il cammino pedagogico di Romano Guardini

2022

Pensatore appassionato e inarrestabile ricercatore della verit��, Romano Guardini (1885-1968) indag��, a fianco ai molteplici ambiti del sapere e del vivere umano, il mondo dell���educazione. Diede contenuto e forma al proprio ruolo di educatore a diretto contatto con i giovani, che con cura segu�� presso le realt�� della Juventus, del Quickborn, delle aule universitarie. In eredit�� fra le righe dei suoi pi�� noti scritti, le linee di una teoria pedagogica, premessa ed esito del suo agire educativo. Il presente contributo assume i tratti di un tentativo ��� parola tanto cara all���autore ��� di illuminare il profilo pedagogico di Guardini per scoprire che egli stesso sia, e perch�� sia, un…

Disturbing Weight Cutting Behaviors in Young Combat Sports Athletes: A Cause for Concern

2022

Problematic weight cutting behaviors in combat sports have been addressed in the scientific literature since the 1930s (1). Indeed, given the available evidence it may be the case that making weight/weight cycling [i.e., rapid weight loss (RWL) prior to weigh-in followed by rapid weight gain prior to competition] has been practiced in combat sports since weight divisions have been introduced. These practices have led to several fatalities (2), which occurred as a consequence of making weight rather than any sports-related injury. Unfortunately, RWL-related deaths still persist into recent times (3). Existing literature has detailed patterns of weight cycling (e.g., methods, magnitudes, freq…

La Camera dello Scirocco di Villa Naselli di Gela a Palermo

2022

L'articolo tratta il complesso della Camera (o Stanza) dello Scirocco di Villa Naselli Ambleri a Palermo, una delle poche superstiti e meglio conservate dell'agro palermitano. Tipologicamente, una Stanza dello Scirocco è una struttura sotterranea artificiale, costruita in prossimità di una sorgente d'acqua per riprodurre le piacevoli condizioni di frescura che si possono avvertire in una caverna naturale. I manoscritti e i documenti d'archivio riportano che, in questi luoghi, i nobili amavano trascorrere del tempo in compagnia di parenti ed amici per sfuggire alla calura estiva, banchettando e rinfrescandosi nell'acqua fresca. Dopo aver inquadrato la borgata della Grazia (oggi Villagrazia),…

Field of values of cut groups and k-rational groups

2022

Abstract Motivated by a question of A. Bachle, we prove that if the field of values of any irreducible character of a finite group G is imaginary quadratic or rational, then the field generated by the character table Q ( G ) / Q is an extension of degree bounded in terms of the largest alternating group that appears as a composition factor of G. In order to prove this result, we extend a theorem of J. Tent on quadratic rational solvable groups to nonsolvable groups.

Distinct neural-behavioral correspondence within face processing and attention networks for the composite face effect

2022

The composite face effect (CFE) is recognized as a hallmark for holistic face processing, but our knowledge remains sparse about its cognitive and neural loci. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging with independent localizer and complete composite face task, we here investigated its neural-behavioral correspondence within face processing and attention networks. Complementing classical comparisons, we adopted a dimensional reduction approach to explore the core cognitive constructs of the behavioral CFE measurement. Our univariate analyses found an alignment effect in regions associated with both the extended face processing network and attention networks. Further representational simi…

Effects of Different Sports Shoes and Bare Feet on Static and Dynamic Balance In Healthy Females: A Randomized Clinical Trial

2022

Static and dynamic balance can be influenced by many factors. However, there is limited evidence regarding the effects that shoe sole hardness may have on balance. The aim of our study was to investigate effects of different sports shoes and bare feet on static and dynamic balance in healthy female individuals. Seventeen female participants were included in our study. All participants were assessed with bare feet, hard-support sports shoes and soft-foam sports shoes. The order of the assessment for each participant was randomly determined using an online random allocation software. The SportKAT 3000® device was used to assess dynamic double feet, static double feet, dominant foot and non-do…

Sévices maritaux et divorce (XIII - XVIII siècle)

2022

La violence exercée sur autrui dans le but de dresser, d’éduquer, de corriger ou de punir englobe des pratiques très anciennes (coups, fouet, privations, enfermement) et d’autres plus caractéristiques d’une époque, comme le bonnet d’âne dans l’école de la Troisième République. Certaines, comme la gifle et la fessée, semblent si banales qu’on ne les perçoit pas d’emblée comme des objets d’histoire. Jusqu’à ces dernières décennies, cette violence infligée dans le cadre de la maisonnée, distincte et complémentaire de la violence de l’État, n’était contestée que lorsqu’elle était manifestement excessive. Le « droit de correction » était considéré comme un pilier de l’ordre social, exprimant l’a…

Finnish dairy farmers’ perceptions of justice in the transition to carbon-neutral farming

2022

Highlights • Finnish dairy farmers' perceptions of issues with carbon neutrality were examined. • Concerns include farming profitability, farmer blaming, and use of peatlands. • Public policy guidance is needed for carbon-neutral, sustainable agriculture. Environmental and political debate concerning the role of agriculture in sustainability has long been on the agenda. However, owing to climate change, an analysis of the transition to a low-carbon society must also be considered from the perspective of justice. Dairy farming, in particular, faces pressure in this context, when contemplating changing consumer behaviors and reduction in the carbon footprint of dairy products. Accordingly, ma…

Body mass index and mild cognitive impairment among middle-aged and older adults from low- and middle-income countries

2022

Background: The effect of weight modification on future dementia risk is currently a subject of debate and may be modified by age. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) status with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (a preclinical stage of dementia) in middle-aged and older adults residing in six low- and middle-income countries using nationally representative data. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) were analyzed. MCI was defined using the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association criteria. BMI (kg/m2) was based on measured weight and height and categorized as: under…

L’IDEOLOGIA RELIGIOSA NELL’EDITTO DI ESPULSIONE DEGLI EBREI DALLA SICILIA

2022

Religion, Ideology, Politics, and Law. A Multidisciplinary Approach in the Frame of European History

Los contratos en materia de reproducción humana asistida: especial tratamiento de la autonomía de la voluntad en las donaciones de gametos y en el de…

2022

RESUMEN: A pesar de que en nuestro país la autonomía privada preside la regulación principal en materia de contratos, ésta se encuentra ampliamente condicionada a la hora de suscribir acuerdos en materia de reproducción humana asistida. En consecuencia, es la Ley 14/2006, de 26 de mayo, la que establece ineludiblemente las pautas y requisitos que deben cumplir las partes intervinientes. De esta forma, las donaciones de gametos llevadas a cabo en nuestro país, o la toma de decisión sobre el destino que habrá de darse a los embriones crioconservados, están absolutamente marcados por la ley, dejando un escaso margen de actuación a las clínicas y usuarias que participan en estas prácticas. Por …

Probing the physics of the solar atmosphere with the Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE): I. Coronal Heating

2022

The Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) is a proposed NASA MIDEX mission, currently in Phase A, composed of a multi-slit EUV spectrograph (in three narrow spectral bands centered around 171A, 284A, and 108A) and an EUV context imager (in two narrow passbands around 195A and 304A). MUSE will provide unprecedented spectral and imaging diagnostics of the solar corona at high spatial (<0.5 arcsec), and temporal resolution (down to ~0.5s) thanks to its innovative multi-slit design. By obtaining spectra in 4 bright EUV lines (Fe IX 171A , Fe XV 284A, Fe XIX-Fe XXI 108A) covering a wide range of transition region and coronal temperatures along 37 slits simultaneously, MUSE will for the first time …

Probabilistic models for the fatigue resistance of welded steel joints subjected to constant amplitude loading

2022

Abstract S-N curves found in various rules and regulations are the basic tool for the practicing engineer when carrying out life predictions for welded details in dynamically loaded structures. The present work is investigating the expected fatigue life and associated scatter for welded steel joints subjected to Constant Amplitude (CA) loading. The objective is to obtain more reliable life predictions based on advancements in the probabilistic model fitted to collected life data. A Random Fatigue Limit Model (RFLM) is proposed to obtain fatigue resistance curves at given probability levels of survival. As a distinction to more conventional statistical methods, the model is treating both the…

Functional connectivity inference from fMRI data using multivariate information measures

2022

Abstract Shannon’s entropy or an extension of Shannon’s entropy can be used to quantify information transmission between or among variables. Mutual information is the pair-wise information that captures nonlinear relationships between variables. It is more robust than linear correlation methods. Beyond mutual information, two generalizations are defined for multivariate distributions: interaction information or co-information and total correlation or multi-mutual information. In comparison to mutual information, interaction information and total correlation are underutilized and poorly studied in applied neuroscience research. Quantifying information flow between brain regions is not explic…

Dynamical measurements of deviations from Newton's $1/r^2$ law

2022

In a previous work (arXiv:1609.05654v2), an experimental setup aiming at the measurement of deviations from the Newtonian $1/r^2$ distance dependence of gravitational interactions was proposed. The theoretical idea behind this setup was to study the trajectories of a "Satellite" with a mass $m_{\rm S} \sim {\cal O}(10^{-9})$ $\mathrm{g}$ around a "Planet" with mass $m_{\rm P} \in [10^{-7},10^{-5} ]$ $\mathrm{g}$, looking for precession of the orbit. The observation of such feature induced by gravitational interactions would be an unambiguous indication of a gravitational potential with terms different from $1/r$ and, thus, a powerful tool to detect deviations from Newton's $1/r^2$ law. In t…

Modelling temperature-dependent dynamics of single and mixed infections in a plant virus

2022

Multiple viral infection is an important issue in health and agriculture with strong impacts on society and the economy. Several investigations have dealt with the population dynamics of viruses with different dynamic properties, focusing on strain competition during multiple infections and the effects on viruses’ hosts. Recent interest has been on how multiple infections respond to abiotic factors such as temperature (T). This is especially important in the case of plant pathogens, whose dynamics could be affected significantly by global warming. However, few mathematical models incorporate the effect of T on parasite fitness, especially in mixed infections. Here, we investigate simple mat…

To Help or Not to Help? Prosocial Behavior, Its Association With Well-Being, and Predictors of Prosocial Behavior During the Coronavirus Disease Pand…

2022

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic fundamentally disrupted humans’ social life and behavior. Public health measures may have inadvertently impacted how people care for each other. This study investigated prosocial behavior, its association well-being, and predictors of prosocial behavior during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and sought to understand whether region-specific differences exist. Participants (N = 9,496) from eight regions clustering multiple countries around the world responded to a cross-sectional online-survey investigating the psychological consequences of the first upsurge of lockdowns in spring 2020. Prosocial behavior was reported to occur frequently. Multi…

Principio di non incriminazione della vittima di tratta autore di reato e obblighi di tutela ai sensi dell'art. 4 Cedu. Primi chiarimenti dalla Corte…

2022

Per la prima volta, la Corte europea dei diritti dell’uomo (Corte EDU) è chiamata a decidere se, ed entro quali limiti, un ordinamento che non rispetta il principio di non-incriminazione della vittima di tratta (VDT) per i reati da questa commessi violi o meno il divieto di schiavitù e di lavoro forzato stabilito dall’art. 4 della Convezione europea dei diritti dell’uomo (CEDU). Che il principio di non incriminazione abbia trovato tutela convenzionale soltanto sotto un profilo procedimentale, e non anche sostanziale, può a prima vista deludere le aspettative di chi ne auspica ormai da tempo un’ampia attuazione. Non può però escludersi che sia proprio sul piano della tutela procedimentale, d…

Empathes: A general code for nudged elastic band transition states search

2022

Abstract An easy and flexible interface, Empathes (Extensible Minimum PATH EStimator), that allows to perform Nudged Elastic Band calculation for the determination of transition states is presented. The code is designed to be easily modified, in order to be associated with the user's preferred calculation software, even with those which implement composite approaches. In particular, the interfaces to Gaussian and Siesta programs are discussed in details, being the former only used for testing purpose, while the latter can be productively employed for transition states search with that commonly used density functional theory software for periodic calculations. Program summary Program Title: …

Dal martire al cacciatore. Traduzioni intersemiotiche dell’eroismo antimafia

2022

Questo contributo muove da un'analisi comparativa tra la biografia di Alfonso Sabella "Cacciatore di mafiosi" (Mondadori, 2008) e le prime due stagioni della fiction Rai "Il Cacciatore" (2018-2020), tratte dal libro. L'obbiettivo è problematizzare questo processo di traduzione intersemiotica alla luce dell'evoluzione dei modelli d'eroismo dei personaggi. Nel saggio, ricolleghiamo questa evoluzione a una riflessione più generale sulla natura transmediale della memoria collettiva, sempre più legata allo spettacolo del passato costruito dai media, che ibridano tra loro generi diversi. Per situare le tendenze contemporanee della memoria dell'eroismo antimafia all'interno di una genealogia pià a…

Diabetes and Ischemic Stroke: An Old and New Relationship an Overview of the Close Interaction between These Diseases

2022

Diabetes mellitus is a comprehensive expression to identify a condition of chronic hyperglycemia whose causes derive from different metabolic disorders characterized by altered insulin secretion or faulty insulin effect on its targets or often both mechanisms. Diabetes and atherosclerosis are, from the point of view of cardio- and cerebrovascular risk, two complementary diseases. Beyond shared aspects such as inflammation and oxidative stress, there are multiple molecular mechanisms by which they feed off each other: chronic hyperglycemia and advanced glycosylation end-products (AGE) promote ‘accelerated atherosclerosis’ through the induction of endothelial damage and cellular dysfunction. …