Search results for "F.I.U."

A Mechanical Approach for Evaluating the Distribution of Confinement Pressure in FRP-Wrapped Rectangular Columns

2019

In recent decades, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) wrapping has become a common technique to retrofit reinforced concrete (RC) columns. Numerous research works have sought to verify analytically and experimentally its effectiveness in terms of enhancement of axial load bearing capacity and ductility. These studies highlighted that in the case of sharp-cornered sections, the maximum allowable confinement pressure is limited by premature failure at corners and, consequently, stress in the FRP, as well as the distribution of the confinement pressure, is not uniform. The prediction of this phenomenon is not straightforward, and existing theoretical studies propose complex numerical simulations, …

The bearing capacity of footings on sand with a weak layer

2017

Minor details of the ground, such as thin weak layers, shear bands and slickensided surfaces, can substantially affect the behaviour of soil–footing and other geotechnical systems, despite their seeming insignificance. In this paper, the influence of the presence of a thin horizontal weak layer on the ultimate bearing capacity of a strip footing on dense sand is investigated by single-gravity tests on small-scale physical models of the soil–footing system. The test results show that the weak layer strongly influences both the failure mechanism and the ultimate bearing capacity if its depth is lower than about four times the footing width. It is found that the presence of a thin weak layer …

Sustainable growth and environmental catastrophes

2017

Abstract In the standard AK growth model we introduce the threat of an ecological catastrophe and study the consequences for the economic variables in the long-run. We extend the basic framework by considering two environmental externalities: the first one is local and gives account of the marginal damage from emissions flow; the second one is aggregate, or global, and relates to the extreme damage which may happen if the accumulated stock of pollutants is on the threshold of a worldwide catastrophe. In this context dominated by market failures, we focus on the socially optimal solution and the search of conditions for sustainability. We identify the efficient balanced growth path, which ma…

Awake video laryngoscopy – A revolution in the management of the anticipated difficult airway?

2016

Iron deficiency and risk of early readmission following a hospitalization for acute heart failure

2016

Implantation failure of endometrial origin: what is new?

2018

To review recent findings related to possible causes of recurrent implantation failure of endometrial origin in normal uterus.Recent evidences suggest that in apparently normal endometria, RIF may associate with molecular and functional changes in the uterus such as abnormal endometrial microbiota, including the presence of chronic endometritis, poor synchronization between the blastocyst and endometrium, and/or excessive uterine peristalsis. An altered endometrial microbiota detected by molecular techniques has been recently related to poorer embryo implantation, even in apparently normal endometria. The use of the endometrial receptivity analysis test to obtain an objective signature of e…

Endometrial Receptivity Analysis (ERA): data versus opinions

2021

Abstract This article summarises and contextualises the accumulated basic and clinical data on the ERA test and addresses specific comments and opinions presented by the opponent as part of an invited debate. Progress in medicine depends on new technologies and concepts that translate to practice to solve long-standing problems. In a key example, combining RNA sequencing data (transcriptomics) with artificial intelligence (AI) led to a clinical revolution in personalising disease diagnosis and fostered the concept of precision medicine. The reproductive field is no exception. Translation of endometrial transcriptomics to the clinic yielded an objective definition of the limited time period …

Prediction of unfavorable outcomes in West Nile virus neuroinvasive infection - Result of a multinational ID-IRI study

2019

Background: WNV causes 1.4% of all central nervous system infections and is the most common cause of epidemic neuro-invasive disease in humans. Objectives: Our main objective was to investigate retrospectively West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease (WNND) cases hospitalized during 2010–2017 and identified factors that can influence prognosis. Study design: We documented the demographic, epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory data of WNND and identified factors that can influence prognosis. The data were recruited through Infectious Diseases International Research Initiative (ID-IRI), which serves as a network for clinical researches. Results: We investigated 165 patients with WNND in 10 coun…

Primary prophylaxis of invasive fungal infections with posaconazole or itraconazole in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia or high-risk myelodyspla…

2017

This is an observational-retrospective study comparing the real-world outcomes associated with posaconazole vs. itraconazole as prophylaxis treatments. Two hundred and ninety-three patient admissions attributable to 174 patients were included in the study. Patients were treated with itraconazole (n = 114 admissions; 39%) or posaconazole (n = 179; 61%). Antifungal prophylaxis failure (APF) due to treatment-related adverse events (in 34 out of 293 patient admissions; 11.6%) was more frequent in the posaconazole group (6.1% vs. 15.1%; P = 0.024). There were 9 patient admissions for episodes of APF due to probable/proven breakthrough fungal infection (primary endpoint): 6 and 3 in the itraconaz…

Targeting Nitric Oxide with Natural Derived Compounds as a Therapeutic Strategy in Vascular Diseases

2016

Within the family of endogenous gasotransmitters, nitric oxide (NO) is the smallest gaseous intercellular messenger involved in the modulation of several processes, such as blood flow and platelet aggregation control, essential to maintain vascular homeostasis. NO is produced by nitric oxide synthases (NOS) and its effects are mediated by cGMP-dependent or cGMP-independent mechanisms. Growing evidence suggests a crosstalk between the NO signaling and the occurrence of oxidative stress in the onset and progression of vascular diseases, such as hypertension, heart failure, ischemia, and stroke. For these reasons, NO is considered as an emerging molecular target for developing therapeutic stra…