Search results for " Index"
showing 10 items of 4978 documents
Borderline intellectual functioning and parental stress: An italian case-control study
2016
Introduction: Borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) children comprises a group of subjects whit intelligence quotient (IQ) ranging 71-85, with a prevalence about 13.6%. Several studies pinpointed the role of parenting on BIF management. Aim of present study was evaluating with objective and validated tool the parental stress rate in mothers of an Italian sample of BIF children. Materials and methods: 26 BIF children (20 males and 6 females) aged 6-10 years (mean age 10.36± 2.03), according to DSM-5 criteria, and 53 (42 males and 11 females) typical developing children (mean age 10.58 ± 1.97) were recruited for present study. Mothers of all enrolled children underwent an evaluation with …
Sign-preserving solutions for a class of asymptotically linear systems of second-order ordinary differential equations
2022
We study multiplicity of solutions to an asymptotically linear Dirichlet problem associated with a planar system of second order ordinary differential equations. The existence of two sign-preserving component-wise solutions is guaranteed when the Morse indexes of the linearizations at zero and at infinity do not coincide, and one of the asymptotic problems has zero-index. The proof is developed in the framework of topological and shooting methods and it is based on a detailed analysis and characterization of the phase angles in a two-dimensional setting.
A note on boundary conditions for nonlinear operators
2008
We investigate boundary conditions for strict-$\psi$-contractive and $\psi$-condensing operators. We derive results on the existence of eigenvectors with positive and negative eigenvalues and we obtain fixed point theorems for classes of noncompact opera\-tors.
Sequentially Forecasting Economic Indices Using Mixture Linear Combinations of EP Distributions
2021
This article displays an application of the statistical method moti- vated by Bruno de Finetti's operational subjective theory of probability. We use exchangeable forecasting distributions based on mixtures of linear com- binations of exponential power (EP) distributions to forecast the sequence of daily rates of return from the Dow-Jones index of stock prices over a 20 year period. The operational subjective statistical method for comparing distributions is quite different from that commonly used in data analysis, because it rejects the basic tenets underlying the practice of hypothesis test- ing. In its place, proper scoring rules for forecast distributions are used to assess the values o…
Completing the logarithmic scoring rule for assessing probability distributions
2012
We propose and motivate an expanded version of the logarithmic score for forecasting distributions, termed the Total Log score. It incorporates the usual logarithmic score, which is recognised as incomplete and has been mistakenly associated with the likelihood principle. The expectation of the Total Log score equals the Negentropy plus the Negextropy of the distribution. We examine both discrete and continuous forms of the scoring rule, and we discuss issues of scaling for scoring assessments. The analysis suggests the dual tracking of the quadratic score along with the usual log score when assessing the qualities of probability distributions. An application to the sequential scoring of f…
Association between multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) and infections in a population of older people affected by COVID-19
2023
Background: Only limited studies analyzed a possible relationship between frailty and infections. Our aim was to investigate the possible association between higher multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) values, a tool for evaluating multidimensional frailty, and the prevalence of infectious diseases, including antibiotics' cost and the prevalence of MDR (multidrug resistance) pathogens. Methods: Older patients, affected by COVID-19, were enrolled in the hospital of Palermo over four months. Results: 112 participants (mean age 77.6, 55.4% males) were included. After adjusting for potential confounders, frailer participants had a higher odds of any positivity to pathogens (prevalence: 61.5%…
Visceral adiposity index is associated with significant fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
2012
Background: Metabolic factors have been associated with liver damage in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Aims To test a new marker of adipose dysfunction, the visceral adiposity index (VAI), in NAFLD patients to assess whether or not it is associated with host factors, and to investigate a potential correlation with histological findings. Methods One hundred and forty-two consecutive NAFLD patients were evaluated by liver biopsy, and clinical and metabolic measurements, including insulin resistance with the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), and VAI by using waist circumference, body mass index, triglycerides and HDL. Serum levels of TNFα, IL-6, adiponectin and lep…
Central obesity and hypertension: Pathophysiologic role of renal haemodynamics and function
1995
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of alterations in renal haemodynamics and function and in plasma renin activity on obesity-induced hypertension. DESIGN: Renal haemodynamics and function, salt-regulating hormones and structural cardiac parameters were evaluated in 20 lean normotensives and in 64 obese subjects with central or peripheral fat distribution, 43 of them were normotensives and 21 of them were hypertensives. Obesity and central fat distribution were defined according to sex-specific 85th percentile respectively of Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR). MEASUREMENTS: Serum immunoreactive insulin (IRI), plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone (PA), microalbumi…
The renal resistive index: is it a misnomer?
2015
Progress in digital ultrasound technology and diffusion of Doppler ultrasound evaluation of the kidney enable a widespread non-invasive evaluation of renal haemodynamics. Initially most attention has been paid to the study of extraparenchymal renal arteries, mainly to detect renovascular disease. However, this approach has low reproducibility and accuracy. Therefore, interest has gradually moved towards the duplex evaluation of intrarenal anatomy, where the best and most reliable signals are obtained from the large segmental or interlobar arteries that run directly towards the transducer. Among the sonographic parameters used in the last decade, great emphasis has been placed on the intrare…
Chronic headache and body mass index: a case-control study.
2012
In recent years clinical research has focused on the possible role played by obesity as a risk factor for headache chronification.The aim of this case-control, hospital-based study was to evaluate: the prevalence of overweight and obesity in subjects with chronic migraine (CM) and chronic tension-type headache (CTTH); and the possible correlations between body mass index (BMI) and both headache types. Materials and methods: We studied 79 patients, 46 with CM and 33 with CTTH, consecutively referred to the Adult Headache Centre of the University of Palermo (A.H. Study) between 2007 and 2009, and 316 controls without headache (each patient was matched by sex and age to four controls).The head…