Extracellular vesicles in airway homeostasis and pathophysiology

2021

The epithelial–mesenchymal trophic unit (EMTU) is a morphofunctional entity involved in the maintenance of the homeostasis of airways as well as in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The “muco-microbiotic layer” (MML) is the innermost layer of airways made by microbiota elements (bacteria, viruses, archaea and fungi) and the surrounding mucous matrix. The MML homeostasis is also crucial for maintaining the healthy status of organs and its alteration is at the basis of airway disorders. Nanovesicles produced by EMTU and MML elements are probably the most important tool of communication among the different cell types, inclu…

Left atrial strain and left atrial stiffness for early detection of cardiotoxicity in cancer patients

2021

Abstract Background Anti-cancer drugs can cause cardiovascular complications. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) are usually used to identify clinical and subclinical cardiotoxicity. Purpose The aim of our study was to assess the addictional role of left atrial reservoir strain (LAS-S) and left atrial stiffness (LASI – the ratio of E/e' to LAS-S) in identifying patients at higher risk of cardiotoxicity. Methods 102 breast cancer patients (median age 53±9.5 years), without cardiovascular diseases, were enrolled before starting chemotherapy. Electrocardiogram and transthoracic echocardiogram (conventional measurements based on EACVI recommendations;…

Adecuación del uso de los servicios médicos de urgencias por parte del paciente adolescente

2021

Objetivo: Comparar la adecuación de las consultas a urgencias del paciente adolescente que está siendo atendido por el pediatra (12 a 14 años) y los que ya no lo están (15 a 18 años). Métodos: Estudio transversal con pacientes en edades entre 12 y 18 años que acudieron al Servicio de Urgencias del Hospital La Salud de Valencia durante el 2018. Los criterios de adecuación se basaron en el Protocolo de Adecuación de Urgencias Hospitalarias. Las variables de adecuación se describieron mediante frecuencias y como método de comparación se utilizó el test exacto de Fisher y la razón de momios. En todos los casos los contrastes de hipótesis fueron bilaterales, con un nivel de confianza de 95 % y l…

L'AFFAIRE EXPEDIA DECISO DALLA CASSAZIONE FRANCESE: UNA OCCASIONE DI RIFLESSIONE SU GIURISDIZIONE E DIRITTO APPLICABILE NELLE CONTROVERSIE CON LE PIA…

2021

The essay analyzes the French case law related to the matter of wheater the clauses of jurisdiction and applicable law in a contract between an online platform and its affiliated economic operators is binding and enforceable also against the Ministre de l’économie et des finances in the context of an action based on cross-border practices restricting competition, such as those repre- sented by the imposition by Expedia of the Most Favoured Nation’s clause to its affiliated hotels.

Bio-based Materials. Standardizzazione e processi per la commercializzazione

2021

Il contributo si occupa degli aspetti normativi nel campo della produzione e uso di una malta con componenti organici derivanti dal riciclo di scarti agricoli e silvo-pastorali. Viene prestata attenzione alla normativa internazionale più diffusa e nota, a quella europea e a quella italiana. La riduzione del consumo di suolo e di risorse lapidee, degli scarti, la limitazione dell’utilizzo di materiali di cava naturali sono solo alcuni benefici che hanno indotto la comunità scientifica a investire nell’uso di materie prime-seconde di origine vegetale, ecosostenibili; oggi, lo stato dell’arte è molto ricco. Tuttavia, non ci sono ancora normative tecniche e procedurali relative ai materiali che…

Stratification for Identification of Prognostic Categories In the Acute RESpiratory Distress Syndrome (SPIRES) Score.

2021

OBJECTIVES: To develop a scoring model for stratifying patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome into risk categories (Stratification for identification of Prognostic categories In the acute RESpiratory distress syndrome score) for early prediction of death in the ICU, independent of the underlying disease and cause of death. DESIGN: A development and validation study using clinical data from four prospective, multicenter, observational cohorts. SETTING: A network of multidisciplinary ICUs. PATIENTS: One-thousand three-hundred one patients with moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome managed with lung-protective ventilation. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN …

NfL predicts relapse-free progression in a longitudinal multiple sclerosis cohort study

2021

Background: Easily accessible biomarkers enabling the identification of those patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who will accumulate irreversible disability in the long term are essential to guide early therapeutic decisions. We here examine the utility of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) for forecasting relapse-free disability progression and conversion to secondary progressive MS (SPMS) in the prospective Neurofilament and longterm outcome in MS (NaloMS) cohort. Methods: The predictive ability of sNfL at Baseline and sNfL follow-up (FU)/ Baseline (BL) ratio with regard to disability progression was assessed within a development cohort (NaloMS, n=196 patients with relapsing-remitt…

A New Statistical Reconstruction Method for the Computed Tomography Using an X-Ray Tube with Flying Focal Spot

2021

Abstract This paper presents a new image reconstruction method for spiral cone- beam tomography scanners in which an X-ray tube with a flying focal spot is used. The method is based on principles related to the statistical model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) methodology. The proposed approach is a continuous-to-continuous data model approach, and the forward model is formulated as a shift-invariant system. This allows for avoiding a nutating reconstruction-based approach, e.g. the advanced single slice rebinning methodology (ASSR) that is usually applied in computed tomography (CT) scanners with X-ray tubes with a flying focal spot. In turn, the proposed approach allows for signific…

Epistemic independence and speaker roles: Highlighting the role of second speaker and mitigating the role of first speaker

2021

Abstract Definitions of attenuation tend to place their emphasis on different aspects of the communication process, especially facework, propositional content, illocutionary force and the roles of speech participants. This paper concentrates on the latter of these aspects. Although studies mention the possibility that attenuation applies to more than one participant, the analysis of particular examples within those studies shows that authors tend to refer mostly (or even only) to the speaker's role (e.g., Briz, 1998, 2003; Briz and Albelda, 2013; Villalba Ibanez, 2016). This study explores the possibility that attenuation of the role of another participant (i.e. a participant other than the…

Performance improvement of a Savonius water rotor with novel blade shapes

2021

Abstract Savonius water rotor is a prominent drag based turbine able to extract energy available in flowing water with low velocity like river streams, tidal currents or other man made water canals. However, in view of its low performance, an enhanced design of the rotor blades is necessary to better its efficiency. Therefore, the present study aims to improve the efficiency of Savonius rotor by changing the blade design. Different blade shapes were investigated numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Using conventional design, the peak power coefficient was found to be 0.166 at tip-speed ratio of 0.78. However, the peak power coefficient reaches 0.184 using the optimal blade …

First measurements of N-subjettiness in central Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV

2021

The ALICE Collaboration reports the first fully-corrected measurements of the N-subjettiness observable for track-based jets in heavy-ion collisions. This study is performed using data recorded in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at centre-of-mass energies of √s = 7 TeV and √sNN = 2.76 TeV, respectively. In particular the ratio of 2-subjettiness to 1-subjettiness, τ2/τ1, which is sensitive to the rate of two-pronged jet substructure, is presented. Energy loss of jets traversing the strongly interacting medium in heavy-ion collisions is expected to change the rate of two-pronged substructure relative to vacuum. The results are presented for jets with a resolution parameter of R = 0.4 and charged jet …

Strategies to Improve the Potential Functionality of Fruit-Based Fermented Beverages

2021

It is only recently that fermentation has been facing a dynamic revival in the food industry. Fermented fruit-based beverages are among the most ancient products consumed worldwide, while in recent years special research attention has been granted to assess their functionality. This review highlights the functional potential of alcoholic and non-alcoholic fermented fruit beverages in terms of chemical and nutritional profiles that impact on human health, considering the natural occurrence and enrichment of fermented fruit-based beverages in phenolic compounds, vitamins and minerals, and pro/prebiotics. The health benefits of fruit-based beverages that resulted from lactic, acetic, alcoholic…

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2021

Abstract Remote sensing-based measurements of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) are useful for assessing plant functioning at different spatial and temporal scales. SIF is the most direct measure of photosynthesis and is therefore considered important to advance capacity for the monitoring of gross primary production (GPP) while it has also been suggested that its yield facilitates the early detection of vegetation stress. However, due to the influence of different confounding effects, the apparent SIF signal measured at canopy level differs from the fluorescence emitted at leaf level, which makes its physiological interpretation challenging. One of these effects is the scatterin…

Pediatric haedaches epidemiology in emergency department during COVID-19

2021

Background and aims Recent studies have showed that in emergency department (ED) pediatric admissions for headache are increasing in the last years. However Covid-19 pandemic may have changed the use of health services for several reasons. Aim of this study is to analyze the rates of admission for pediatric headaches in ED before and during Covid19 Pandemic. Methods we have collected retrospectively the records of children (range of age 5–14) admitted on ED in 2012, 2019 and 2020. We selected the records including Headache and Headache associated to other symptoms (vomit, fever, dizziness, etc.), collecting further the use of computed tomography (CT) and neurological consultation. Results I…

Re: Internal Jugular Vein and Cerebral Venous Sinus Infective Thrombophlebitis Detected With 99mTc-HMPAO White Blood Cell Scintigraphy.

2021

JUNO sensitivity to low energy atmospheric neutrino spectra

2021

Atmospheric neutrinos are one of the most relevant natural neutrino sources that can be exploited to infer properties about cosmic rays and neutrino oscillations. The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) experiment, a 20 kton liquid scintillator detector with excellent energy resolution is currently under construction in China. JUNO will be able to detect several atmospheric neutrinos per day given the large volume. A study on the JUNO detection and reconstruction capabilities of atmospheric $\nu_e$ and $\nu_\mu$ fluxes is presented in this paper. In this study, a sample of atmospheric neutrino Monte Carlo events has been generated, starting from theoretical models, and then pro…

Conversion of levulinic acid to γ-valerolactone over Zr-containing metal-organic frameworks: Evidencing the role of Lewis and Brønsted acid sites

2021

Zr-containing UiO-66 and MOF-808 are evaluated for converting levulinic acid (LA) into γ-valerolactone (GVL) through various routes: (i) Step-wise esterification of LA to n-butyl levulinate (nBuL) and Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction to GVL; (ii) One-pot two-steps esterification with n-butanol followed by MPV reduction with sec-butanol; and (iii) direct conversion of LA into GVL through a tandem reaction. Selection of this multistep complex reaction evidences the participation of the different acid sites (Lewis or Brønsted) of the material in each individual step: Brønsted-induced acid sites catalyze esterification reaction efficiently, while Lewis acid sites are the preferred sites…

Rosa Cetro et Lorella Sini (éds), 2021. Fake news, rumeurs, intox… Stratégies et visées discursives de la désinformation (Paris : L’Harmattan)

2021

L’ouvrage de Rosa Cetro et Lorella Sini s’ouvre sur une presentation du volume par les deux auteures. Apres avoir rappele le cadre dans lequel ce projet a vu le jour, elles s’attelent a une double tâche : delimiter une definition generique et une traduction francaise pour le syntagme anglais fake news et, plus globalement, retracer les differents contextes dans lequel cette notion a evolue et evolue encore. De fait, les deux chercheuses soulignent l’emergence de ce terme anglophone dans une ...

Dataset of trace elements concentrations in snow samples collected in Jelgava City (Latvia) in December 2020

2021

Abstract The data set provided in this article consist of two repeated data sets of chemical elements concentrations in snow samples. The snow samples were collected in Jelgava city at December 15th with 5 day exposition time. Snow samples were collected in 59 monitoring points in Jelgava city and in one sample in rural area monitoring point as control. The collected snow samples were melted, acidified with HNO3 and analysed with ICP-MS. The samples were analysed Aluminium (Al), Silicon (Si), Chrome (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Arsenic (As), Molybdenum (Mo), Cadmium (Cd), Barium (Ba), Tungsten (W), Lead (Pb). The collected data are with fundamental s…

¿Qué cambiar en la didáctica de las enseñanzas artísticas en tiempos de pandemia?

2021

La pandemia COVID-19 ha venido para quedarse, por lo que nos veremos obligados a adaptar nuestra forma de vida para convivir con ella. Con todo, las crisis suponen siempre una oportunidad para la innovación y el cambio y, en consecuencia, como educadores tenemos la obligación de repensar la didáctica de las enseñanzas artísticas y las metodologías para utilizar las estrategias dramáticas en cualquier nivel educativo. En este artículo intentamos proponer unas reflexiones centradas en los siguientes puntos: repensar la educación inspirada por las pedagogías emergentes; postular las enseñanzas artísticas como core curriculum; revisar los contenidos de teatro/drama en la educación y las nuevas …

Effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Family Functioning

2021

More than a year and a half after the first clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were reported in Wuhan, China,1 , 2 the magnitude of the pandemic across the globe and its related clinical and social effects3 remain unclear.4 The pandemic has affected lives and sparked concerns about everything from health to job security. In high–Gross Domestic Product (GDP) countries, despite trillions in coronavirus aid released by governments, many families still struggle to pay for basic necessities like food and rent, and these difficulties worsened during the pandemic.5 , 6 The general social uncertainty caused by the pandemic seems to have also affected family resilience, w…

Integrated CGH/WES Analyses Advance Understanding of Aggressive Neuroblastoma Evolution: A Case Study

2021

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extra-cranial malignancy in preschool children. To portray the genetic landscape of an overly aggressive NB leading to a rapid clinical progression of the disease, tumor DNA collected pre- and post-treatment has been analyzed. Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), whole-exome sequencing (WES), and pharmacogenetics approaches, respectively, have identified relevant copy number alterations (CNAs), single nucleotide variants (SNVs), and polymorphisms (SNPs) that were then combined into an integrated analysis. Spontaneously formed 3D tumoroids obtained from the recurrent mass have also been characterized. The results prove the power of combining C…

Partial Discharges in HVDC Cables - The Effect of the Temperature Gradient During Load Transients

2021

The paper investigates the role of the space charge accumulation phenomena in the inception of Partial Discharges (PD) in a defect within the bulk of the dielectrics of a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cable. It is widespread accepted that the number of PD occurring in an HVDC cable during its lifetime is largely less than that under AC voltage stress. This is essentially due to higher values of the voltage between the conductor and the screen needed to trigger PD under a steady DC voltage than the same value under AC stress. Nevertheless, due to the dependency of the electrical conductivity of the insulation on the electric field and temperature, PD in HVDC cables is strongly influence…

Il progetto Mentori per la Didattica dell’Università degli Studi di Palermo: l’estensione del numero dei partecipanti, la figura del Mentore Senior e…

2021

L’esperienza del Progetto Mentore (PM) nasce nel 2013 dalla percezione, da parte di diversi docenti dell’Ateneo di Palermo, che l’Accademia italiana stesse abbandonando a sé stessa la funzione didattica, confidando di fatto nelle capacità di ognuno di organizzarsi, aggiornarsi e valutarsi (Felisatti, Scialdone, Cannarozzo, & Pennisi, 2019; Caradonna, Morale, Pace, Scargiali, Scialdone, & Auteri, 2020). Tale impressione era tra le altre cose basata sul fatto che nessuno dei sistemi di valutazione dei docenti universitari (il processo di abilitazione scientifica nazionale, ma anche la stessa valutazione della qualità dei corsi di studio) mettesse enfasi sulla necessità da parte del do…

Libero Andreotti e il contributo degli artisti alla Sezione Arredi Navali Ducrot

2021

Con la collaborazione con Gustavo Pulitzer Finali e con Libero Andreotti per gli interni della motonave Victoria il mobilificio palermitano Ducrot, nel 1931, di colpo rientra nel “moderno”; un orientamento che, invero, ne avrebbe connotato solo per casi eccellenti la strategia aziendale nella rimanente stagione del ventennio, ma la cui impronta ne caratterizzerà il rilancio dal periodo della «Ricostruzione» agli anni del «Miracolo Economico» come la più qualificata industria italiana di arredi navali. La ripresa dei rapporti di lavoro con esponenti del mondo artistico, e segnatamente con quanti fra pittori e scultori orientavano la propria opera in direzione del “rinnovamento” (più che del …

Crustal Structure of the Seismogenic Volume of the 2010–2014 Pollino (Italy) Seismic Sequence From 3D P- and S-Wave Tomographic Images

2021

A tomographic analysis of Mt. Pollino area (Italy) has been performed using earthquakes recorded in the area during an intense seismic sequence that occurred between 2010 and 2014. 870 local earthquakes with magnitude ranging from 1.8 to 5.0 were selected considering the number of recording stations, the signal quality, and the hypocenter distribution. P- and S-wave arrival times were manually picked and used to compute 3D velocity models through tomographic seismic inversion. The resulting 3D distributions of VP and VS are characterized by high resolution in the central part of the investigated area and from surface to about 10 km below sea level. The aim of the work is to obtain high-qual…

Criticità della tutela dei dati scientifici nel regolamento sui nuovi alimenti anche alla luce della disciplina in materia di benessere degli animali

2021

Il regolamento (UE) 2283/2015 sui novel food rappresenta un’evoluzione nella protezione dei dati scientifici relativi ai nuovi prodotti alimentari. La normativa, sviluppata sul modello offerto dal regolamento (UE) 1924/2006 in materia di indicazioni nutrizionali e sulla salute, garantisce una protezione quinquennale dei dati scienti ci e delle prove pro- dotte dal richiedente in sede di domanda di autorizzazione di un nuovo prodotto ex art. 10 del regolamento (UE) 2283/2015. La previsione di un termine quinquennale di tutela se, secondo taluni, può risultare troppo breve per rappresentare un vero incentivo per compiere investimenti in ricerca e sviluppo da parte delle imprese; d’altra part…

Depletion of CD56+CD3+ invariant natural killer T cells prevents allergen-induced inflammation in humanized mice

2021

Background CD56-expressing natural killer (NK) cells as well as invariant NK T (iNKT) cells have been shown to either promote or inhibit allergic immune responses. Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of these cells in a recently developed humanized mouse model of allergen-induced IgE-dependent gut and lung inflammation. Methods Nonobese diabetic–severe combined immunodeficiency γ-chain knockout mice were injected intraperitoneally with human PBMCs or CD56-depleted (CD56neg) PBMCs from highly sensitized donors with birch or grass pollen allergy together with the respective allergen or with NaCl as a control. Three weeks later, the mice were challenged with th…

L'uomo e il suo ambiente. Al di là dell'opposizione natura/cultura

2021

Il saggio rappresenta la prosecuzione delle ultime ricerche di Claude Calame, grecista di fama mondiale: dopo il Prometeo genetista (Sellerio, Palermo 2016, ed. or. Paris 2011), adesso lo studioso svizzero propone una riflessione sui rapporti tra l’essere umano e il suo ambiente, maturata sulla base del serrato confronto tra l’idea originaria, greca, di physis e la nozione di ‘natura’ per come essa si è sviluppata a partire dal pensiero illuministico e deterministico. Dei cinque capitoli in cui il saggio è complessivamente strutturato, il primo (dal titolo En Grèce ancienne : l’homme et son milieu) ricostruisce con accuratezza storico-filologica e acume critico il concetto greco di physis, …

Development and Validation of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROM) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREM) in Home Respiratory Therapies:…

2021

Introduction: Home respiratory therapies (HRT) are treatments aimed at diseases that are generally chronic and that have a significant impact on the biopsychosocial aspects of patients’ lives. No validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) and patient-reported experience measures (PREM) are available to assess the impact of these treatments on quality of life (QoL) in HRT. The objective of this work was to identify and validate PROMs and PREMs in HRT. Methods: The process was divided into 5 stages: review of the literature, patient interviews, qualitative validation workshops, cognitive validation, and psychometric validation. For the identification of PROM and PREM, consensus techni…

The buffer effect of canopy-forming algae on vermetid reefs' functioning: A multiple stressor case study.

2021

Abstract Biodiversity plays a key role for our planet by buffering ongoing and future changes in environmental conditions. We tested if canopy-forming algae enhancing biodiversity (CEB) in a Mediterranean intertidal reef ecological community could alleviate the effect of stressors (heat waves and pollution from sewage) on community metabolic rates (as expressed by oxygen consumption) used as a proxy of community functioning. CEB exerted a buffering effect related to the properties of stressor: physical-pulsing (heat wave) and chronic-trophic (sewage). After a simulated heat wave, CEB was effective in buffering the impacts of detrimental temperatures on the functioning of the community. In r…

Ecological Analysis of the Helminth Community of Microtus lusitanicus (Gerbe, 1879) (Rodentia) in Asturias (NW Spain)

2021

Simple Summary The Lusitanian pine vole is an endemic rodent of the Iberian Peninsula, which has a burrowing behaviour and prefers to live underground. It feeds on bark and roots causing severe damage to trees. In Asturias (NW Spain), this species is considered a pest causing economic losses in apple orchards, damaging the tree, and sometimes even causing its death. With the aim to shed light on the helminth community of this rodent pest species and to elucidate which intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect its helminth species, a faunistic-ecological study was carried out. For this purpose, our own collection of 710 voles from several orchards of various locations in Asturias was used. The …

Plaster ventilated façade system for renovating modern and ancient buildings. A CFD analysis

2021

In the past decades several researches have been related to energy saving and emissions reduction. The technologies that exploit passive natural ventilation, like ventilated roofs and fa ades, have been recognized as the effective methods to provide energy saving and comfort. Ventilated fa ades represent dry assembled coating systems for buildings, traditionally made of panels in different materials. Very few ventilated fa ade systems with plaster finishes are already present on the building market. The potentiality of their design solution can be considered, e.g., when an historic building has to be recovered, since they can enhance the energy efficiency of building without changing its ap…

Enfermedad periodontal y diabetes mellitus gestacional: estudio caso-control

2021

Antecedentes Los estudios que relacionan la enfermedad periodontal (EP) y la diabetes mellitus gestacional (DMG) no son concordantes. Nuestro objetivo principal es evaluar la posible asociación entre la EP y la DMG. Además, analizamos los factores de riesgo para la DMG en nuestra muestra. Métodos Participaron 180 gestantes, 90 con DMG y 90 controles, del Hospital La Fe de Valencia. Se pasó un cuestionario y realizo un examen periodontal, valorándose los siguientes parámetros: número de dientes, índices de placa y sangrado al sondaje, profundidad de sondaje (PS) y nivel de inserción de clínica (NIC). La periodontitis se definió según criterios de la CDC-AAP. Resultados Las DMG tuvieron mayor…

Grand canonical ensemble approach to electrochemical thermodynamics, kinetics, and model Hamiltonians

2021

The unique feature of electrochemistry is the ability to control reaction thermodynamics and kinetics by the application of electrode potential. Recently, theoretical methods and computational approaches within the grand canonical ensemble (GCE) have enabled to explicitly include and control the electrode potential in first principles calculations. In this review, recent advances and future promises of GCE density functional theory and rate theory are discussed. Particular focus is devoted to considering how the GCE methods either by themselves or combined with model Hamiltonians can be used to address intricate phenomena such as solvent/electrolyte effects and nuclear quantum effects to pr…

DNA-binding activities of compounds acting as enzyme inhibitors, ion channel blockers and receptor binders.

2021

The DNA-binding activities of compounds used as remedies can display DNA-protection, but also damaging effects in biological systems. The current review compiles literature data on DNA-binding activities of drugs widely used as remedies with different therapeutic indications. The compounds are classified according their mechanism of action: enzyme inhibitors, ion channel inhibitors, inhibitors of viral RNA replication and HIV protease and receptor agonists. DNA binding was reported for such widely used drugs as paracetamol, aspirin, metformin, statins and many others. The capability of the drug to bind DNA is sometimes coupled to genotoxic effects, but in some cases - to genome protection. …