Dystrophin and metalloproteinase 9 in myocardial ischemia: A post-mortem immunohistochemical study

2021

The presented study evaluated the expression of dystrophin and MMP-9 in cases of sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to coronary atherosclerotic disease (CAD) in order to analyze the characteristics and the chronology of their expression, providing evidence on the possible role in post-mortem diagnosis of myocardial ischemia. The expression of these proteins was also compared to C5b-9 complex and fibronectin expression to evaluate any differences. Two groups of CAD-related SCD, respectively group 1 with gross and/or histological evidence and group 2 with no specific histological signs of myocardial ischemia, were used. A third group formed by cases of acute mechanical asphyxiation was used as a …

Iconic strategies in lexical sensory signs in Finnish Sign Language

2021

Abstract Iconic strategies—methods of making iconic forms—have been mostly considered in terms of concrete semantic fields such as actions and objects. In this article, I investigate iconic strategies in lexical sensory signs—signs that semantically relate to the five senses (sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste) and to emotions (e.g., anger)—in Finnish Sign Language. The iconic strategy types I discuss are hand-action, entity, drawing, and locating. I also discuss the indexical strategy type (e.g., finger pointing). To gain as rich and broad a view as possible, the mixed methods in the research consist of three components: intuition based, intersubjective, and statistical analyses. The ma…

Critical reading of some papers related to the Bibracte basin

2021

Since its discovery in 1987, the monumental basin of Bibracte questions archeologists because of its atypical orientation that was thought not to follow the way on which it lies. We study 4 archeoastronomical papers dealing with the orientation of the short and long axes on the sun rise at winter solstice or on peculiar stars and we discuss the validity of these hypotheses.

Oxytocin reduces romantic rejection-induced pain in online speed-dating as revealed by decreased frontal-midline theta oscillations

2021

Abstract Background Romantic rejection is an emotionally distressful experience profoundly affecting life, possibly leading to mental illness or suicide. Oxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide widely implicated in reducing physical pain and negative emotions; however, whether OT has an effect on reducing intense social pain (e.g., romantic rejection) remains unknown. Here, we tested the effect of OT on social pain and investigated its role in the outcome evaluation phase of social decision-making. Methods Electroencephalographic recordings were obtained between August 2nd and October 20th, 2020 in Shenzhen University from 61 healthy participants in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with a b…

Foreign language learning in multilingual Germany

2021

This special issue on foreign language (FL) learning in multilingual contextsprovides insights into cross- and inter-linguistic phenomena comparingmonolingual and multilingual students who learn FLs in linguistically het-erogeneous classrooms. All contributions are based on data gathered in pro-jects carried out within the research cluster “Language education andmultilingualism”/“Sprachliche Bildung und Mehrsprachigkeit”, which hasbeen funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research(Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) from 2013 to 2020. Bybringing together linguistic and educational perspectives on FL learning andteaching as well as different methodological a…

Design framework and principles for learning environment co-design: Synthesis from literature and three empirical studies

2021

Funding Information: The research was funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation through the Indoor Environment Program (2011?2014), the Finnish Cultural Foundation?s Central Finland Regional Fund (2013?2018), and the Finnish Foundation for Municipal Development (2020?22). Funding Information: Funding: The research was funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation through the Indoor Environment Program (2011–2014), the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Central Finland Regional Fund (2013–2018), and the Finnish Foundation for Municipal Development (2020–22). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The need for en…

Microcrinoids from the lower and middle Albian of the Anglo-Paris Basin (southern England, UK, Seine Maritime, Pas de Calais and Aube, France).

2021

16 pages; International audience; Microcrinoids of the family Roveacrinidae Peck, 1943 are described from lower and middle Albian clays of the Anglo-Paris Basin (Seine Maritime, Pas de Calais and Aube, France; Kent and Bedfordshire, UK). They are referred to two subfamilies - the Orthogonocrininae Gale, 2019 and the Plotocrininae Gale, 2020. Orthogonocrinines include the long-ranging (middle Albian-lower Cenomanian) species Orthogonocrinus apertus Peck, 1943, and Styracocrinus peracutus (Peck, 1955), known from Texas, USA, Morocco, the UK and France, and two stratigraphically successive species of the genus Hyalocrinus, H. magniezii Destombes, 1984 and H. bulliensis Destombes, 1984, known o…

false

2021

Although insect herbivores are known to evolve resistance to insecticides through multiple genetic mechanisms, resistance in individual species has been assumed to follow the same mechanism. While both mutations in the target site insensitivity and increased amplification are known to contribute to insecticide resistance, little is known about the degree to which geographic populations of the same species differ at the target site in a response to insecticides. We tested structural (e.g., mutation profiles) and regulatory (e.g., the gene expression of Ldace1 and Ldace2, AChE activity) differences between two populations (Vermont, USA and Belchow, Poland) of the Colorado potato beetle, Lepti…

Novel Device for Endoluminal Esophageal Atresia Repair: First-in-Human Experience

2021

Thoracoscopic esophageal atresia (EA) repair affords many benefits to the patient; however, intracorporeal suturing of the anastomosis is technically challenging. Esophageal magnetic compression anastomosis (EMCA) is a compelling option for endoluminal EA repair, but available EMCA devices have prohibitive rates of recalcitrant stricture. Connect-EA is a new endoluminal EMCA device system that employs 2 magnetic anchors with a unique mating geometry designed to reliably create a robust anastomosis and decrease rates of leak and stricture. We describe our first-in-human experience with this novel endoluminal device for staged EA repair in 3 patients (Gross type A, B, and C) at high risk for …

Postoperative continuous positive airway pressure to prevent pneumonia, re-intubation, and death after major abdominal surgery (PRISM): a multicentre…

2021

BackgroundRespiratory complications are an important cause of postoperative morbidity. We aimed to investigate whether continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) administered immediately after major abdominal surgery could prevent postoperative morbidity.MethodsPRISM was an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial done at 70 hospitals across six countries. Patients aged 50 years or older who were undergoing elective major open abdominal surgery were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive CPAP within 4 h of the end of surgery or usual postoperative care. Patients were randomly assigned using a computer-generated minimisation algorithm with inbuilt concealment. The primary outcome was a composite of…

Waves to Weather: Exploring the Limits of Predictability of Weather

2021

AbstractPrediction of weather is a main goal of atmospheric science. Its importance to society is growing continuously due to factors such as vulnerability to natural disasters, the move to renewable energy sources, and the risks of climate change. But prediction is also a major scientific challenge due to the inherently limited predictability of a chaotic atmosphere, and has led to a revolution in forecasting methods as we have moved to probabilistic prediction. These changes provide the motivation for Waves to Weather (W2W), a major national research program in Germany with three main university partners in Munich, Mainz, and Karlsruhe. We are currently in the second 4-yr phase of our pla…

Kinetic modeling of autotrophic microalgae mainline processes for sewage treatment in phosphorus-replete and -deplete culture conditions

2021

[EN] A kinetic model of autotrophic microalgal growth in sewage was developed to determine the biokinetic processes involved, including carbon-, nitrogen- and phosphorus-limited microalgal growth, dependence on light intensity, temperature and pH, light attenuation and gas exchange to the atmosphere. A new feature was the differentiation between two metabolic pathways of phosphorus consumption according to the availability of extracellular phosphorus. Two scenarios were differentiated: phosphorus-replete and -deplete culture conditions. In the former, the microalgae absorbed phosphorus to grow and store polyphosphate. In the latter the microalgae used the stored polyphosphate as a phosphoru…

INTEGRATED EFFICACY RESULTS FROM THE PHASE 2 AND PHASE 3 STUDIES WITH CAPLACIZUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH ACQUIRED THROMBOTIC THROMBOCYTOPENIC PURPURA

2021

Objective: An integrated analysis based on the Phase 2 TITAN (NCT01151423) and Phase 3 HERCULES (NCT02553317) studies with caplacizumab (CPLZ) in acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP) was performed to assess treatment differences on efficacy and safety outcomes that may have been undetected in the individual trials. Methodology: In both trials, patients with an acute episode of aTTP were randomized to receive CPLZ or placebo (PBO) in addition to therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and immunosuppression. All randomized patients from both studies were included in the integrated efficacy analyses (CPLZ: n=108; PBO: n=112), and those who received at least 1 dose of the study drug we…

Measurement of e+e−→γχc0,c1,c2 cross sections at center-of-mass energies between 3.77 and 4.60 GeV

2021

Modeling of Melt Flow and Heat Transfer in Stationary Gas Tungsten Arc Welding with Vertical and Tilted Torches

2021

A 3D numerical simulation was conducted to study the transient development of temperature distribution in stationary gas tungsten arc welding with filler wire. Heat transfer to the filler wire and the workpiece was investigated with vertical (90°) and titled (70°) torches. Heat flux, current flux, and gas drag force were calculated from the steady-state simulation of the arc. The temperature in the filler wire was determined at three different time intervals: 0.12 s, 0.24 s, and 0.36 s. The filler wire was assumed not to deform during this short time, and was therefore simulated as solid. The temperature in the workpiece was calculated at the same intervals using heat flux, current flux, ga…

Aspekte der italienischen Rezeption des deutschsprachigen Kulturraums des 16. Jahrhunderts. Luther und die italienische schöngeistige Literatur

2021

Il saggio prende in considerazione un aspetto poco studiato del transfer culturale del 500. Mentre è scontato l'influsso della cultura e letteratura italiana in Europa e quindi anche nei paesi germanofoni, si trascura solitamente l'impatto del mondo germanofono sulla cultura e letteratura italiana. Il saggio analizza il ruolo che Riforma ed ermetismo d'Oltralpe, innanzitutto Paracelso, hanno avuto sulle belle lettere e sul dibattito 'scientifco' e culturale del tempo in Italia.

Étude paléoenvironnementale et paléoclimatique multiproxiesdes bassins fini-carbonifères à permiens du N-E duMassif central.

2021

National audience; Les bassins intracontinentaux fini-carbonifères à permiens d'Autun et de Decize-LaMachine (NE du Massif central) ont fait l'objet d'un travail de thèse s'appuyant sur denombreuses méthodes d'analyse appliquées à haute résolution sur des données deforages et quelques coupes.Les interprétations des résultats sédimentologiques (faciès, diagraphies, sismique), destratigraphie séquentielle, de géochimie et isotopie organique (carbone et azote) et deminéralogie ont permis de reconstituer de la manière la plus précise possible l'évolutiondes environnements sédimentaires de ces bassins dans l'espace et au cours du temps.Il en ressort que les deux bassins étudiés dominés par des d…

A contested financial frontier: banking and empire building in Eritrea, c.1952–73

2021

AbstractThis article provides an account of the relationship between imperial Ethiopia and Eritrea in the realm of banking governance from the start of the federation to the last years of the imperial regime. It looks in particular at the relationship between the Ethiopian administrations and an Italian bank, Banco di Roma, which had its headquarters in Eritrea from 1948 to 1967 before moving to Addis Ababa. The struggle for control of the economic flows generated by the Italian bank is an index of the changes in centre–periphery linkages between Addis Ababa and the sub-regional centre of Asmara. Archival evidence highlights the multifaced nature of Ethiopian governance and the role perform…

VOX Spain: The Organisational Challenges of a New Radical Right Party

2021

This article examines the organisation of VOX, a new radical right party in Spain. It shows that the party has taken early and uneven steps to build a mass organisation and initially opted for open membership recruitment with participatory organisational elements. Also, the party’s rapid growth and quick entrance into political institutions at different state levels led the party leadership to establish more centralised control and limit members’ prerogatives, though recruitment continued. Centralisation in part responds to organisational needs given the party’s quickly acquired political relevance, but also to the desire of the central party leadership to forestall the articulation of terr…

Impact of Circulatory Assistance in the Early Evolution After Heart Transplantation. Unicentric Experience.

2021

ABSTRACT Background Heart transplantation (HT) is the reference treatment for patients with terminal heart failure. In recent years there has been a progressive increase in HT procedures in patients who have a circulatory support (CS). Methods This is a retrospective single-center study of 293 consecutive patients who underwent HT from 2009 to 2018, analyzing the evolution of the 2 cohorts: patients with and without CS as a bridge to HT. Baseline and evolutionary clinical data collected following the usual follow-up protocol were recorded, including clinical events observed during the follow-up 1 year after the procedure. Results The subgroup of patients transplanted with CS showed a higher…

A new Triodus species (Xenacanthidae, Xenacanthiformes) from the basal Permian of France (Autun basin, Saône-et-Loire) and its palaeobiogeographical …

2021

International audience

A Machine Learning Model to Predict Intravenous Immunoglobulin-Resistant Kawasaki Disease Patients: A Retrospective Study Based on the Chongqing Popu…

2021

Objective: We explored the risk factors for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance in children with Kawasaki disease (KD) and constructed a prediction model based on machine learning algorithms.Methods: A retrospective study including 1,398 KD patients hospitalized in 7 affiliated hospitals of Chongqing Medical University from January 2015 to August 2020 was conducted. All patients were divided into IVIG-responsive and IVIG-resistant groups, which were randomly divided into training and validation sets. The independent risk factors were determined using logistic regression analysis. Logistic regression nomograms, support vector machine (SVM), XGBoost and LightGBM prediction models wer…

Recomendaciones prácticas para el manejo del paciente con dolor crónico durante la pandemia de COVID-19

2021

Resumen La infeccion por SARS-CoV-2 ha evolucionado hasta convertirse progresivamente en una pandemia y en una emergencia de salud publica de importancia internacional que ha obligado a las organizaciones de salud a nivel mundial, regional y local a adoptar una serie de medidas para hacer frente a la COVID-19 e intentar disminuir su impacto, no solo en el ambito social sino tambien en el ambito sanitario, modificandose las pautas de actuacion en los servicios de salud. Dentro de estas recomendaciones, que incluyen las unidades de tratamiento del dolor, los pacientes con sospecha o infeccion confirmada por SARS-CoV-2 pueden encontrase en situacion de espera para consulta medica o tecnicas in…

Experimental characterization of a novel configuration of thermoelectric refrigerator with integrated finned heat pipes

2021

Abstract Thermoelectric refrigerating systems (TER) are environment-friendly technologies. They have several advantages such as low maintenance costs, are less cumbersome and long lifetime. However, these systems have low coefficient of performance and are limited in achieving low temperature levels. This study investigates a new configuration of TE refrigerator employing a novel arrangement of heat sinks with integrated flat and finned heat pipes. A mathematical model is firstly developed to predict transient temperatures and cooling limit time. An experimental characterization is then performed and it includes optimization of energy consumption, cooling time, temperature levels and TE ref…

PEER-TUTORING AT THE UNIVERSITY. ANALYSIS OF A SINGLE CASE STUDY

2021

The paper focus on the theme of peer learning with reference to the university context. Peer tutoring is an educational strategy that aims to activate mutual support between peers to promote an authentic and co-participated learning experience. In doing this it is necessary that the relationship is positive and that the "power" between the people involved is balanced; in other words, that participation is spontaneous [1]. Orientation and tutoring are now a reality for Italian and international universities [2],[3]. If initially said activity was intended to guide and inform incoming students, later the offer was extended to the entire university career and for heterogeneous needs [4],[5],[6…

Assessing the effectiveness of green roofs in enhancing the energy and indoor comfort resilience of urban buildings to climate change: Methodology pr…

2021

Abstract The effects of climate change on the built environment represents an important research challenge. Today, green roofs (GRs) represent a viable solution for enhancing energy and urban resilience in the face of climate change, as they can have a positive impact on the building's indoor thermal comfort and energy demand, as well as inducing various environmental benefits (easing urban heat island effects, improving the management of runoff water, reducing air pollution, etc.). Thus, it is important to be able to assess their effectiveness, both today and under future climate conditions, in order to evaluate whether they can also provide a valid long-term solution. In this paper, a sim…

Sanctions for Legal Entities in South American and European Systems of Corporate Criminal Liability

2021

The present analysis of sanctions for cases of liability of legal entities for crimes (corporate criminal liability) adopts a two-fold comparative perspective. First, it focuses on the sanctions provided by the laws of those legal systems, in South America, which introduced such liability, especially in the last two decades after the United Nations’ treaties on organized crime and corruption. Then, it continues with a parallel overview of sanctioning choices in those Member States of the European Union which opted for such liability. The analysis highlights similar and different approaches both in the two contexts and within each of them. Overall, a process of “weak harmonization” of sancti…

Giovani virtuosi e dove trovarli: Percorsi formativi e rappresentazioni dell’età giovanile nella tradizione pedagogica e letteraria cinese

2021

Infanzia ed educazione sono tematiche in cui è presente una forte dicotomia: hanno per natura una componente universale, in quanto presenti nell’organizzazione sociale fin dai tempi più antichi, ma allo stesso tempo sono fortemente caratterizzate e influenzate dall’ambiente culturale in cui si evolvono In Cina, testi classici e pratiche sociali sono solo due degli elementi che hanno contribuito a modellare il carattere originale del bambino, la cui formazione, nel corso della storia del pensiero cinese, fu influenzata dalle grandi dottrine – buddhismo, daoismo e confucianesimo – e successivamente dall’incontro con l’Occidente. Attraverso un variegato corpus di fonti primarie – trattati filo…

Ragazze folli di miele, Il miele e la celebrazione della parola nel rito del mahāvrata

2021

In these pages, we will explore the rite of mahāvrata, a Vedic rite connected to the celebration of the new year, from a study perspective aimed at the performative dimension. Specifically, I will focus on the final scene of the rite, because it is only at this moment that the actors and the ritual dynamics compose a particular scenario, evocative of fertility, in which some maidens, the ritual fire, and honey are the protagonists. The maidens are called upon to dance around the mārjālīya hearth and to intone a chant in which they repeat the word madhu ("honey") in an increasingly frenzied manner. The words spoken, in some cases meaningless formulas, reveal a unitary sense and hint at the f…

Cucumis sativus l. Seeds ameliorate muscular spasm-induced gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders by simultaneously inhibiting calcium mediated s…

2021

Cucumis sativus L. is globally cultivated as an edible vegetable. Besides its nutritional benefits, it is used in traditional medicines against various ailments. The current study was designed to elucidate the multi-target mechanisms of a C. sativus seeds extract against asthma and diarrhea using network pharmacology along with a molecular docking approach. Furthermore, in-vitro and in-vivo experiments were conducted to verify the mechanistic insight of in silico studies. LC-ESI-MS/MS was performed to identify the bioactive compounds in the extract; later, some compounds were quantified by HPLC. C. sativus seed. EtOH has kaempferol in higher concentration 783.02 µg/g, followed by quercetin …

A Simulation Analysis for Assessing the Reliability of AC/DC Hybrid Microgrids - Part I: Underground Station and Car Parking

2021

This paper reports the results of a simulation study with the aim of evaluating the capability of two portions of a hybrid AC/DC MV/LV network of maintaining their operation in off-grid mode during the loss of the main AC grid due to a failure. In particular, the study aims to verify, in the case of islanded operation of the two microgrids, the continuity of the electricity service by exploiting the local generation plants, Energy Storage Systems (ESSs), and other flexible resources managed by suitable algorithms in different energy scenarios. The analysis was carried out considering two microgrids: an underground station and a car parking with Electric Vehicles (EVs). For assessing the per…

Trophic and spatial complementarity on seed dispersal services by birds, wild mammals, and cattle in a Mediterranean woodland pasture

2021

Made available in DSpace on 2022-05-01T09:47:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-11-01 Università degli Studi di Palermo CYTED Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras Most earth surfaces have undergone intensive land-use changes, creating habitat mosaics. Seed dispersal by animals is a crucial process in such mosaics, but community-wide studies comparing the functional complementarity and response to man-imposed habitat heterogeneity are rare. Here, we investigate the trophic and spatial seed dispersal networks underpinning a strong, woody vegetation expansion over a pastureland inside the largest forest remnant in western Sici…

A Colorimetric Membrane-Based Sensor with Improved Selectivity towards Amphetamine

2021

Due to their simplicity, speed and low cost, chemical spot tests are increasingly demanded for the presumptive identification of illicit drugs in a variety of contexts such as point-of-care assistance or prosecution of drug trafficking. However, most of the colorimetric reactions used in these tests are, at best, drug class selective. Therefore, the development of tests based on chemical reactions with improved discrimination power is of great interest. In this work, we propose a new colorimetric assay for amphetamine (AMP) based on its reaction with solutions of alkaline gold bromide to form an insoluble yellow–orange derivative. The resulting suspensions are then filtered onto nylon membr…

Brain Synchrony in Competition and Collaboration During Multiuser Neurofeedback-Based Gaming

2021

EEG hyperscanning during multiuser gaming offers opportunities to study brain characteristics of social interaction under various paradigms. In this study, we aimed to characterize neural signatures and phase-based functional connectivity patterns of gaming strategies during collaborative and competitive alpha neurofeedback games. Twenty pairs of participants with no close relationship took part in three sessions of collaborative or competitive multiuser neurofeedback (NF), with identical graphical user interface, using Relative Alpha (RA) power as a control signal. Collaborating dyads had to keep their RA within 5% of each other for the team to be awarded a point, while members of competit…

Consensus on nomenclature for clinical staging models in bipolar disorder: A narrative review from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (I…

2021

Objectives Clinical staging is widely used in medicine to map disease progression, inform prognosis and guide treatment decisions; in psychiatry, however, staging remains a hypothetical construct. To facilitate future research in bipolar disorders (BD), a well-defined nomenclature is needed, especially since diagnosis is often imprecise with blurred boundaries, and a full understanding of pathophysiology is lacking. Methods Under the auspices of the International Society of Bipolar Disorders, a Task Force of international experts was convened to review, discuss, and integrate findings from the scientific literature relevant to the development of a consensus staging model and standardize a t…

Pedogenesis and carbon sequestration in transformed agricultural soils of Sicily

2021

The increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is a consequence of human activities leading to severe environmental deteriorations. Techniques are thus needed to sequester and reduce atmospheric carbon. One of the proposed techniques is the transformation or construction of new soils into which more organic carbon can be sequestered and CO2 be consumed by increased weathering. By using a chronosequence of new and transformed soils on crushed limestone (0–48 years) in a Mediterranean area (Sicily), we tried to quantify the amount of organic carbon that could be additionally sequestered and to derive the corresponding rates. A further aim was to trace chemical weathering and related CO2 consump…