Procollagen C-Proteinase Enhancer 1 (PCPE-1) is a marker of myocardial fibrosis and impaired cardiac function in a murine model of pressure overload

2021

Abstract(1)AimsProcollagen C-proteinase enhancer 1 (PCPE-1) is an extracellular matrix protein and a major regulator of fibrillar collagen biosynthesis. Previous work has shown that its abundance is often increased in the context of tissue repair and fibrosis. The present study was designed to evaluate its potential as a biomarker of myocardial interstitial fibrosis (MIF), a well-established pathogenic pathway leading to heart failure.(2)Methods and ResultsCardiac fibrosis was induced in rats using an optimized model of chronic pressure overload triggered by angiotensin II and Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). All treated animals suffered from heart hypertrophy and the increase in …

Sleep and Diet: Mounting Evidence of a Cyclical Relationship

2021

Two factors intrinsic to health are diet and sleep. These two behaviors may well influence one another. Indeed, that insufficient sleep adversely impacts dietary intakes is well documented. On the other hand, diet may influence sleep via melatonin and its biosynthesis from tryptophan. Experimental data exist indicating that provision of specific foods rich in tryptophan or melatonin can improve sleep quality. Whole diets rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and other sources of dietary tryptophan and melatonin have been shown to predict favorable sleep outcomes. Although clinical trials are needed to confirm a causal impact of dietary patterns on sleep and elucidate underlying mechanisms, …

Everyday life and the new shapes of identities : The different meanings of ‘things that did not happen’ in the lives of Finnish older persons during …

2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives in many ways since the end of 2019. This paper investigates the everyday lives of Finnish older persons during the first three months of the pandemic when they were required to stay in “quarantine-like conditions.” The study utilises the ‘sociology of nothing’ in exploring the meanings of nothingness in the everyday lives of older people; that is, the things, events and people that were absent from their lives because of the pandemic. The main interest of the article is to reverse the typical analytical focus from ‘things that happened’ to ‘things that did not happen’ and to shed light on the experiences and descriptions of older persons' unlived…

Pressure Tunable Electronic Bistability in Fe(II) Hofmann-like Two-Dimensional Coordination Polymer [Fe(Fpz)2Pt(CN)4]: A Comprehensive Experimental a…

2021

A comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of both thermal-induced spin transition (TIST) as a function of pressure and pressure-induced spin transition (PIST) at room temperature for the two-dimensional Hofmann-like SCO polymer [Fe(Fpz)2Pt(CN)4] is reported. The TIST studies at different fixed pressures have been carried out by magnetic susceptibility measurements, while PIST studies have been performed by means of powder X-ray diffraction, Raman, and visible spectroscopies. A combination of the theory of elastic interactions and numerical Monte Carlo simulations has been used for the analysis of the cooperative interactions in TIST and PIST studies. A complete (T, P) phase diagram…

Effects of intravenous furosemide plus small-volume hypertonic saline solutions on markers of heart failure.

2021

Aims: We sought to compare the effects of furosemide + hypertonic saline solution (HSS) treatment in patients with acute decompensated heart failure in comparison with furosemide alone and the response in a compensated state after an acute saline load with regard to serum levels of heart failure biomarkers. Methods and results: We enrolled 141 patients with acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction admitted to our Internal Medicine ward from March 2017 to November 2019. A total of 73 patients were randomized to treatment with i.v. high-dose furosemide plus HSS, whereas 68 patients were randomized to i.v. high-dose furosemide alone. Patients treated with furosemide plu…

Reply to: Correspondence on "EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on non-invasive tests for evaluation of liver disease severity and prognosis - 2021 up…

2021

Direct atomic layer deposition of ultrathin aluminium oxide on monolayer $MoS_2$ exfoliated on gold: the role of the substrate

2021

In this paper we demonstrated the thermal Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) growth at 250 {\deg}C of highly homogeneous and ultra-thin ($\approx$ 3.6 nm) $Al_2O_3$ films with excellent insulating properties directly onto a monolayer (1L) $MoS_2$ membrane exfoliated on gold. Differently than in the case of 1L $MoS_2$ supported by a common insulating substrate ($Al_2O_3/Si$), a better nucleation process of the high-k film was observed on the 1L $MoS_2/Au$ system since the ALD early stages. Atomic force microscopy analyses showed a $\approx 50\%$ $Al_2O_3$ surface coverage just after 10 ALD cycles, its increasing up to $>90\%$ (after 40 cycles), and an uniform $\approx$ 3.6 nm film, after 80 cycle…

Responses to Developmental Temperature Fluctuation in Life History Traits of Five Drosophila Species (Diptera: Drosophilidae) from Different Thermal …

2021

Simple Summary Most laboratory experiments on insects to date have been conducted using constant temperature settings. Even when the purpose of the study was to investigate effects of temperature, insects have mostly been kept at different but constant temperatures ignoring natural variation in temperature. Here we investigated effects of simple daily temperature fluctuation (22.5/27.5 °C and 20/30 °C) on some development characteristics in five species of fruit flies (Drosophila) originating from areas with different temperature profiles. We demonstrated how species of the same genus can show substantial differences when developing at fluctuating temperatures not always predictable by deve…

Savaime sklindančios aukštatemperatūrinės sintezės būdu gautų aliuminio oksinitrido miltelių ir jų keramikų optinės savybės

2021

The reported study was funded by RFBR according to the Research Project No. 19-08-00655. V.P. acknowledges the State Research Program ‘Aug-stas enerģijas fizika un paātrinātāju tehnoloģijas’ (Projekta Nr. VPP-IZM-CERN-2020/1-0002). The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, Project CAMART2.

L’emergere dell’autonoma normativa del CSM (Notazioni a margine del dibattito sulla riforma dell’ordinamento giudiziario)

2021

The article deals with the phenomenon of the foundations and the evolution of powers close to normative ones in the exercise of the constitutional functions of the Superior Council of the Judiciary. The analysis takes into account the debate on the reform of the judicial order.

Le paysage et les pratiques agricoles affectent les carabes régulateurs des adventices, e façon directe ou en modulant la disponibilit´e de leurs res…

2021

National audience; Les carabes sont des agents de lutte biologique importants qui contribuent au service´ecosyst´emique de r´egulation du stock semencier des adventices gr^ace `a la pr´edation desgraines. Pour encourager l’adoption de ce service par les agriculteurs, il est crucial d’´evaluerla contribution des carabes `a cette r´egulation, et de mieux comprendre les d´eterminants deleur pr´esence dans les parcelles. La complexit´e du paysage et l’intensit´e de la gestion agricole peuvent directement affecter les carabes. Cet effet peut ´egalement ^etre indirect, via unemodulation des ressources trophiques disponibles pour les carabes, bien que peu d´ecrit dansla litt´erature.Nous avons ´ev…

Effects of Prior Knowledge on Comprehending Text About Learning Strategies

2021

Good knowledge and skills in using different learning strategies is important for learning with understanding and even more critical during distance learning. Findings indicate that students tend to use and value ineffective learning strategies, thus there is need to educate students. This study aimed to analyze the possibility of using refutation text on learning strategies that students can study independently. The study examined how reported use of learning strategies and preexisting beliefs about the effectiveness of rehearsal and comprehension-oriented strategies relate to the comprehension of text about learning strategies, and how text comprehension is related to later use of strateg…

Internet of things Enabling Smart School : An Overview

2021

Internet of things (IoT) is making its way in every field of life. Education is not an exception. IoT is making landmark achievements in its applications in the field of education. This paper presents an overview of the key IoT applications in the field of education from the perspective of school management, teachers, and learners enabling smart school concept and challenges and limitations in embarking IoT in educational settings. peerReviewed

Impact of smoking habit on adult-onset Still’s disease prognosis, findings from a multicentre observational study

2021

The objective of this study is to describe the possible prognostic impact of smoking habit on adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) patients, by the assessment of clinical characteristics, life-threatening complications occurrence, and mortality in smokers than non-smokers. A multicentre retrospective study of prospectively followed-up AOSD patients included in Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale (GIRRCS) cohort was conducted. Out of 185 AOSD assessed patients, 45 smokers were identified. These showed a higher frequency of pericarditis (35.5% vs 16.4%, p = 0.011), pleuritis (33.3% vs 14.3%, p = 0.008), and abdominal pain (17.7% vs 6.4%, p = 0.035). Furthermore, sm…

s, p-Harmonic Approximation of Functions of Least W s,l-Seminorm

2021

Abstract We investigate the convergence as $p\searrow 1$ of the minimizers of the $W^{s,p}$-energy for $s\in (0,1)$ and $p\in (1,\infty )$ to those of the $W^{s,1}$-energy, both in the pointwise sense and by means of $\Gamma $-convergence. We also address the convergence of the corresponding Euler–Lagrange equations and the equivalence between minimizers and weak solutions. As ancillary results, we study some regularity issues regarding minimizers of the $W^{s,1}$-energy.

Joint User Association and Dynamic Beam Operation for High Latitude Muti-beam LEO Satellites

2021

In Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, which run in polar orbit, the area of overlap among beams becomes wider as the latitude of satellites increases, which leads to intolerable interference and extra energy consumption. To minimize the onboard power with QoS requirements, we propose an energy optimization model with considering power allocation, user association and dynamic beam ON/OFF operation jointly. Moreover, the frequent beam ON/OFF operations lead to the large number of user handovers, so handover cost is also considered in the model. The original problem is decomposed into two levels due to the high coupling of variables and the successive convex approximation is employed. A low com…

Investigating Potential Alignments between Modelica Standard Library and SAREF Ontologies

2021

International audience; Simulation tools based on the Modelica language provide comprehensive modelling and simulation approaches for building energy systems. However, the simulation and optimisation of such systems are data-driven processes, lacking a common understanding of information structure within the process. This paper investigates the possible semantic alignments of the Smart Appliances REFerence (SAREF) ontology and its extension for building domain, SAREF4BLDG, with the Modelica Standard Library (MSL). Using the MSL, a residential heating system has been modelled in OpenModelica, an open-source modelling and simulation environment. Then, SAREF and its extension SAREF4BLDG semant…

Rill flow resistance law under sediment transport

2021

Abstract Purpose In this paper, a deduced flow resistance equation for open-channel flow was tested using measurements carried out in mobile bed rills with sediment-laden flows and fixed bed rills. The main aims were to (i) assess the effect of sediment transport on rill flow resistance, and (ii) test the slope-flow velocity relationship in fixed bed rills. Methods The following analysis was developed: (i) a relationship between the Γ function of the velocity profile, the rill slope and the Froude number was calibrated using measurements carried out on fixed bed rills; (ii) the component of Darcy-Weisbach friction factor due to sediment transport was deduced using the corresponding measurem…

Cost-effectiveness analysis of the first-line EGFR-TKIs in patients with advanced EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer.

2021

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of first-line treatments, such as erlotinib, gefitinib, afatinib, dacomitinib, and osimertinib, for patients diagnosed with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations.A partitioned survival model was developed to estimate quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System. Two Bayesian NMAs were performed independently, by using the polynomial fraction method to fit Kaplan-Meier curves for overall survival and progression-free survival. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the uncertainty.The ICER was calculated for the fou…

Clinical research focused in European adult women with minority diseases: Do we try hard enough?

2021

We analyzed the European countries participation in clinical trials addressing to new drug development focused on rare diseases in women comparing to more prevalent diseases as breast cancer. Participation was not associated with type of healthcare system neither socio-economic features, but it was associated with population size. Protocol ratios focused on breast cancer vs. orphan drugs and rare diseases was 15:1 and 9:1, respectively, mainly focused on ovarian cancer. Protocol number was insufficient to evaluate the success of Regulation (EC) 141/2000, it is necessary to increase the scientific quality and the number of really new molecules.

Relationship between Cyberbullying, Motivation and Learning Strategies, Academic Performance, and the Ability to Adapt to University

2021

Cyberbullying has become a frequent relational problem among young people, which has made it necessary to evaluate and prevent it in the university setting. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between cyberbullying, motivation and learning strategies, the ability to adapt to university, and academic performance. A sample of 1368 Spanish university students (64% female) was administered a battery consisting of the European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire, the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory Short version, and the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire, with their academic performance also being studied. The results found that the victimized bullies h…

Primary cutaneous lymphomas in children: A prospective study from the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) Primary Cutaneous Lymphom…

2021

Background/Objectives Primary cutaneous lymphomas are rare in pediatric patients. The clinical and histopathological manifestations may differ from those in adults. Due to their low frequency and the insidious clinical picture, the diagnosis is usually delayed. The Spanish Primary Cutaneous Lymphoma Registry was initiated in 2016 as a multicenter registry that would allow better insight into the epidemiological, clinical, histopathological, and treatment response characteristics of patients with primary cutaneous lymphomas. Methods We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of primary cutaneous lymphomas in pediatric patients participating in the Spanish Academy of Dermatology an…

Russian Formalism vs Germanic Formalism: exploring the concept of European Formalism

2021

Abstract This comparative reading of two conceptual corpora, Russian formalism and Germano-Austrian or Germanic formalism, begins with the idea that the European formalism presents a coherent unit. The continuity of this program authorizes such a comparative reading. The comparative analysis of formalisms in Europe could be a research program aimed at an epistemological reading of the phenomenon of European formalism at the turn of the 20th century. This program deals with a rereading of two conceptual fields–Russian formalism and Germanic (Germano-Austrian) formalism. This study seeks to contextualise the formalist project within the knowledge of its time by showing its genetic links with …

Effectiveness of Neural Mobilization Techniques in the Management of Musculoskeletal Neck Disorders with Nerve-Related Symptoms: A Systematic Review …

2021

Abstract Objective The objective was to assess the effectiveness of neural mobilization (NM) techniques in the management of musculoskeletal neck disorders with nerve-related symptoms (MND-NRS). Methods We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis, using pain intensity, disability, perceived function, cervical range of motion, and mechanosensitivity as the main outcome measures. Results The systematic review included 22 studies (n = 978). More favorable outcomes were observed for NM on pain intensity compared with control interventions (standardized mean differences (SMDs) −0.92; 95% CI −1.66−0.18), but not compared with other treatments (OTs) (SMD 1.06; 95% CI −0.02 to 2.15). Regard…

Ep-CAM (MOC-31) expression in tooth germ and ameloblastoma

2021

Ep-CAM, a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed in most epithelium in normal conditions, has diverse roles in these tissues, including in cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, cell cycle regulation, migration and intracellular signaling. It is also over-expressed in most malignant neoplasia, participating in the initiation, progression, and metastatic dissemination of the tumor. The expression and roles of this protein in oral neoplasia, particularly in odontogenic tumors, remain unestablished. The objective of this study consisted in analyzing the expression of this protein in ameloblastoma and tooth germ.Ep-CAM (MOC-31) expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in tooth ger…

The justice of visual art. Creative state-building in times of political transition (Series: law in context)

2021

The Țigani Community Adaptability to Changes in Rural Romania and the COVID-19 Impact

2021

Romanian rural villages are struggling to survive present times when youngsters leave for a better life in the city while elders work the land like a hundred years ago. Our paper integrates human environments research with public health preparedness, presenting the Țigani (Gypsy/Roma) ethnic group from rural Romania as an example to the world. The future security of mankind will require a new understanding of the human place in its environment. That will lead to a new society, not the most powerful or intelligent, but the one that is more adaptable to changes, with sensitive and interconnected community members. Therefore, the Țigani ethnic group that fought for its rights and flourished de…

Physical Activity Scaled to Preferred Walking Speed as a Predictor of Walking Difficulty in Older Adults: A 2-Year Follow-up

2021

Abstract Background The usual accelerometry-based measures of physical activity (PA) are dependent on physical performance. We investigated the associations between PA relative to walking performance and the prevalence and incidence of early and advanced walking difficulties compared to generally used measures of PA. Methods Perceived walking difficulty was evaluated in 994 community-dwelling participants at baseline (age 75, 80, or 85 years) and 2 years later over 2 km (early difficulty) and 500 m (advanced difficulty). We used a thigh-mounted accelerometer to assess moderate-to-vigorous PA, daily mean acceleration, and relative PA as movement beyond the intensity of preferred walking spee…

Brevi osservazioni su una pronuncia cautelare della Supreme Court of the United States in tema di ef-fetti della pandemia da Covid 19

2021

Il saggio esamina la pronuncia cautelare della Supreme Court of the United States in tema di effetti della pandemia da Covid 19

Differentiation among dairy products by combination of fast field cycling NMR relaxometry data and chemometrics

2021

A set of commercial milk and Sicilian cheeses was analysed by a combination of fast field cycling (FFC) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry and chemometrics. The NMR dispersion (NMRD) curves were successfully analysed with a mathematical model applied on Parmigiano-Reggiano (PR) cheese. Regression parameters were led back to the molecular components of cheeses (water trapped in casein micelles, proteins and fats) and milk samples (water belonging to hydration shells around dispersed colloidal particles of different sizes and bulk water). The application of chemometric analysis on relaxometric data enabled differentiating milk from cheeses and revealing differences within the two sa…

Place du psychologue en réanimation

2021

Dans les services de soins aigus, comme en réanimation, où l’intégrité physique et psychique des patients est atteinte, le somatique prime mais il est inéluctablement imprégné de la dimension émotionnelle. Les études actuelles témoignent d’ailleurs d’un vécu émotionnel intense et souvent bouleversant, tant pour les patients et leurs proches, que pour les soignants. Le psychologue prend donc place dans cette triangulation patient-famille-soignant afin de préserver la place de la dimension émotionnelle au sein des services de réanimation, et de proposer un accompagnement psychologique adapté. A partir d’un cas clinique, cet article a pour objectif de clarifier, pour les soignants de réanimati…

On the Estimation of the Radial Distance of a Moving Person in Indoor Environments from the Demodulated Response of LFMCW Radars

2021

Space-vector State Dynamic Model of the Synchronous Reluctance Motor Considering Self, Cross-Saturation and Iron Losses

2021

This paper proposes a space-vector dynamic model of the Synchronous Reluctance Motor (SynRM) including both self-saturation, cross-saturation effects, and iron losses expressed in state form, where the magnetizing current has been selected as a state variable. The proposed dynamic model is based on an original function between the stator flux and the magnetizing current components, improving a previously developed magnetic model. Additionally, the proposed model includes, besides the magnetic saturation, also iron losses. The proposed model requires 11 coefficients, among which 6 describe the self-saturation on both axes and 5 describe the cross-saturation. Starting from the definition of a…

Valorization of seawater desalination brines through the integration of Eutectic Freeze Crystallization and Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes in…

2021

European policy encourages the adoption of sustainable systems that promote the efficient use and recovery of resources. Accordingly, this study proposes integrating two innovative technologies, including Eutectic Freeze Crystallization (EFC) and Electrodialysis with Bipolar Membranes (EDBM), for treating seawater desalination brines. Two experimental campaigns were conducted to assess the viability of this novel treatment chain. Using two lab-test rig units, the effect of various operating conditions on the outputs and general performance of both EFC and EDBM was evaluated. Firstly, results showed that EFC could manage seawater brines to (i) obtain pure sodium sulphate, and fresh water in …

Input-Output Feedback Linearization Control with On-Line Inductances Estimation of Synchronous Reluctance Motors

2021

This paper proposes an adaptive input-output Feedback Linearization (FL) techniques for Synchronous Reluctance Motor (SynRM) drives, taking into consideration the iron losses. As a main original content, this work proposes a control law based on a new dynamic model of the SynRM including iron losses as well as the on-line estimation of the static inductances. The on-line estimation of the SynRM static inductances permits to inherently take into consideration the magnetic saturation phenomena occuring on both axes. The estimation law is obtained thanks to a Lyapunov-based analysis and thus the stability of the entire control system, including the estimation algorithm, is intrinsically guaran…

Understanding the relationship between subjective health complaints and satisfaction with life for people in prevocational training in Norway

2021

Background and aim: In Norway, a large part of the population is dependent on disability benefits. The main reasons for this are related to long-term musculoskeletal pain and psychological complaints. Prevocational rehabilitation, aimed at increasing participation in working life, targets people in need of a sheltered vocational environment. This group has been found to report a very high level of health complaints. Therefore, a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms affecting satisfaction with life for people who experience subjective health complaints could be important for tailoring more optimal vocational rehabilitation initiatives for these individuals. This study aimed t…