Search results for " Features"
showing 10 items of 238 documents
A national cohort study on pediatric Behçet's disease: Cross-sectional data from an Italian registry
2017
Abstract Background Behçet’s disease is a rare multi-systemic inflammatory disease with unknown etiology which involves principally oral and genital mucosa, skin and eyes. Average age at onset of the disease is about 25-30 years, but it may be diagnosed before the age of 16. It is not very rare in Italy, even though there are limited data concerning epidemiology. Aim of this study is to describe the baseline data of an Italian cohort of patients with as having BD or probable BD. Methods We described the baseline data of the first national epidemiological study on children coming from 16 Italian Pediatric Rheumatologic Centers diagnosed by the treating physicians as having Behçet’s Disease. …
The Clinical and Molecular Spectrum of GM1 Gangliosidosis
2019
Objective To evaluate the clinical presentation of patients with GM1 gangliosidosis and to determine whether specific clinical or biochemical signs could lead to a prompt diagnosis. Study design We retrospectively analyzed clinical, biochemical, and genetic data of 22 patients with GM1 gangliosidosis from 5 metabolic centers in Germany and Austria. Results Eight patients were classified as infantile, 11 as late-infantile, and 3 as juvenile form. Delay of diagnosis was 6 ± 2.6 months in the infantile, 2.6 ± 3.79 years in the late-infantile, and 14 ± 3.48 years in the juvenile form. Coarse facial features, cherry red spots, and visceromegaly occurred only in patients with the infantile form. …
Choline PET/CT Features to Predict Survival Outcome in High Risk Prostate Cancer Restaging: A Preliminary Machine-Learning Radiomics Study
2020
Background Radiomic features are increasingly utilized to evaluate tumor heterogeneity in PET imaging but to date its role has not been investigated for Cho-PET in prostate cancer. The potential application of radiomics features analysis using a machine-learning radiomics algorithm was evaluated to select 18F-Cho PET/CT imaging features to predict disease progression in PCa. Methods We retrospectively analyzed high-risk PCa patients who underwent restaging 18F-Cho PET/CT from November 2013 to May 2018. 18F-Cho PET/CT studies and related structures containing volumetric segmentations were imported in the "CGITA" toolbox to extract imaging features from each lesion. A Machine-learning model h…
Rac1 GTPase, a multifunctional player in the regulation of genotoxic stress response
2013
The Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) belongs to the Ras-homologous (Rho) family of small GTPases, which transduce signals from the outside to the inside of a cell. Rac1 becomes activated upon ligand binding of a variety of receptors, including receptor tyrosine kinases and heterotrimeric G-protein-coupled receptors. After GTP loading by guanine exchange factors (GEFs), GTP-bound Rac1 engages numerous effector proteins, thereby eventually regulating cell motility and adhesion, cell cycle progression through G1, mitosis and meiosis, as well as cell death and metastasis.1 Besides, Rac1 adjusts cellular responses to genotoxic agents, such as UV light and alkylating agents, by r…
Direct In Vitro Reprogramming of Astrocytes into Induced Neurons
2021
Spontaneous neuronal replacement is almost absent in the postnatal mammalian nervous system. However, several studies have shown that both early postnatal and adult astroglia can be reprogrammed in vitro or in vivo by forced expression of proneural transcription factors, such as Neurogenin-2 or Achaete-scute homolog 1 (Ascl1), to acquire a neuronal fate. The reprogramming process stably induces properties such as distinctly neuronal morphology, expression of neuron-specific proteins, and the gain of mature neuronal functional features. Direct conversion of astroglia into neurons thus possesses potential as a basis for cell-based strategies against neurological diseases. In this chapter, we …
Brand identity documentation: a cross‐national examination of identity standards manuals
2009
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the key features of an identity standards manual and assess the differences in the rules used for applying the brand to both low‐ and high‐context cultures, companies selling consumer goods and those selling services, and multinational and local companies.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is based on the analysis of 341 identity standards manuals and on the analysis of three key features found in the manuals: contents, normative tone, and development.FindingsThe results divide the contents of the manual into two blocks: core and peripheral; and show that there are differences between the manuals of high‐ and low‐context cultures, comp…
Occurrence of two rare species from order Lampriformes: Crestfish Lophotus lacepede (Giorna, 1809) and scalloped ribbonfish Zu cristatus(Bonelli, 181…
2017
The bony fish Lophotus lacepede (Giorna, 1809) and Zu cristatus (Bonelli, 1819) are the two species rarely recorded within the Mediterranean basin, usually reported as accidentally captured in depth (mesopelagic) fishing operations. In the current work, we present the first record of L. lacepede and Z. cristatus in fishing catches from southwestern Tyrrhenian Sea. Moreover, in order to improve existent biological/ ecological knowledge, some bio-related aspects such as feeding aspect, sexual maturity and age estimate have been discussed.
Features and ecological significance of benchmark soils of the Moldavian plateau, Romania
2016
Features and ecological significance of benchmark soils of the Moldavian plateau, Romania
A fast fusion technique for fingerprint and iris spatial descriptors in multimodal biometric systems
2014
Multimodal biometric identification systems aim to combine two or more physical or behavioral traits to provide optimal False Acceptance Rate (FAR) and False Rejection Rate (FRR). In this paper a new fusion technique for fingerprint and iris spatial descriptors with a low execution time is presented. The report focuses on spatial fusion strategies, offering and proposing a modern perspective on multi-biometrics. In greater detail, a spatial-based approach and a homogeneous biometric vector, integrating iris and fingerprint data, are generated, fused, and processed for the overall system matching score. The goal of this approach is to demonstrate that, by using spatial iris features followin…
Influences on mutual fund performance: comparing US and Europe using qualitative comparative analysis
2019
This study examines the conditions that lead mutual funds to underperform or outperform competitors. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), we draw upon extensive research on fund returns to affirm and extend earlier discoveries. Fund performance (Morningstar ratings), features of the funds themselves, and characteristics of the fund managers are considered. Positive Morningstar star and analyst ratings are necessary conditions for funds to generate value (measured by Jensen’s alpha). Funds with low management fees and low ongoing fees have attractive Sharpe ratios and high returns. Likewise, large funds with good Morningstar ratings have good Sharpe ratios and returns, o…