Search results for "pane"
showing 10 items of 1074 documents
Irrigation water intensity and climate variability: an agricultural crops analysis of Italian regions
2020
This paper examines the relationship between the requirement of water resources for irrigation and climate variability and analyses the ranking of the best and worst performance of irrigation water intensity for each Italian region. To measure water resources demanded by agriculture, the irrigation water intensity (IWI) indicator has been computed as the ratio between volumes of irrigation water and total crop harvested. By applying panel data methodologies to a regional dataset spanning from 2000 to 2009, we may address heterogeneity and omitted variable issues. By merging meteo-climatic with agricultural variables, we may confirm that water precipitations, maximum temperature, irrigation …
Regression imputation for Space-Time datasets with missing values
2009
Data consisting in repeated observations on a series of fixed units are very common in different context like biological, environmental and social sciences, and different terminology is often used to indicate this kind of data: panel data, longitudinal data, time series-cross section data (TSCS), spatio-temporal data. Missing information are inevitable in longitudinal studies, and can produce biased estimates and loss of powers. The aim of this paper is to propose a new regression (single) imputation method that, considering the particular structure and characteristics of the data set, creates a “complete” data set that can be analyzed by any researcher on different occasions and using diff…
What factors drive returns on initial coin offerings?
2020
Abstract In recent years, initial coin offerings (ICOs) have received considerable attention as a new form of crowdfunding. Because of the rapid growth in their popularity, ICOs have become a prominent research topic. However, the lack of knowledge about the nature of this kind of financial operation inevitably raises several important unanswered questions. This study starts by providing a comprehensive description of the characteristics, benefits, and risks associated with ICOs. Then, using a panel data set comprising daily information for 125 ICOs (44,217 observations gathered from December 2017 to December 2018), this study explores the influence of the ICO presale period, ICO category, …
Efavirenz: What is known about the cellular mechanisms responsible for its adverse effects
2017
The HIV infection remains an important health problem worldwide. However, due to the efficacy of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), it has ceased to be a mortal condition, becoming a chronic disease instead. Efavirenz, the most prescribed non-nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), has been a key component of cART since its commercialization in 1998. Though still a drug of choice in many countries, its primacy has been challenged by the arrival of newer antiretroviral agents with better toxicity profiles and treatment adherence. The major side effects related to EFV have been widely described in clinical studies, however the mechanisms that participate in their pat…
The phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor roflumilast augments the Th17-promoting capability of dendritic cells by enhancing IL-23 production, and impairs th…
2016
Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors serve to prevent degradation of the intracellular second messenger cAMP, resulting in broad anti-inflammatory effects on different cell types including immune cells. Agents that elevate cAMP levels via activation of adenylate cyclase have been shown to imprint a Th17-promoting capacity in dendritic cells (DCs). Therefore, we studied the potential of therapeutically relevant PDE inhibitors to induce a pronounced Th17-skewing capacity in DCs. Here we show that mouse bone marrow-derived (BM-) DCs when treated with the PDE4 inhibitor roflumilast (ROF, trade name: Daxas) in the course of stimulation with LPS (ROF-DCs) evoked elevated IL-17 levels in cocultur…
Neuronal Bioenergetics and Acute Mitochondrial Dysfunction: A Clue to Understanding the Central Nervous System Side Effects of Efavirenz
2014
Background. Neurological pathogenesis is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and differences in neuronal/glial handling of oxygen and glucose. The main side effects attributed to efavirenz involve the CNS, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Methods. Human cell lines and rat primary cultures of neurons and astrocytes were treated with clinically relevant efavirenz concentration. Results. Efavirenz alters mitochondrial respiration, enhances reactive oxygen species generation, undermines mitochondrial membrane potential, and reduces adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in a concentration-dependent fashion in both neurons and glial cells. However, it activates adenosine monophospha…
PDE4 inhibitors as new anti-inflammatory drugs: effects on cell trafficking and cell adhesion molecules expression.
2004
Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) is a major cyclic AMP-hydrolyzing enzyme in inflammatory and immunomodulatory cells. The wide range of inflammatory mechanisms under control by PDE4 points to this isoenzyme as an attractive target for new anti-inflammatory drugs. Selective inhibitors of PDE4 have demonstrated a broad spectrum of anti-inflammatory activities including the inhibition of cellular trafficking and microvascular leakage, cytokine and chemokine release from inflammatory cells, reactive oxygen species production, and cell adhesion molecule expression in a variety of in vitro and in vivo experimental models. The initially detected side effects, mainly nausea and emesis, appear at least pa…
Profile of stress and toxicity gene expression in human hepatic cells treated with Efavirenz
2012
Hepatic toxicity and metabolic disorders are major adverse effects elicited during the pharmacological treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Efavirenz (EFV), the most widely used non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), has been associated with these events, with recent studies implicating it in stress responses involving mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in human hepatic cells. To expand these findings, we analyzed the influence of EFV on the expression profile of selected stress and toxicity genes in these cells. Significant up-regulation was observed with Cytochrome P450, family 1, subfamily A, polypeptide 1 (CYP1A1), which indicated m…
Ultrastructural and histochemical analysis reveals ethylene-induced responses underlying reduced peel collapse in detached citrus fruit
2010
Fruits from many citrus cultivars develop depressed areas in the flavedo (outer part of the peel) and albedo (inner part) following detachment. Although ultrastructural analysis may provide important information about multiple plant responses to stresses and external stimuli at the cell and tissue levels, and despite the proved efficacy of ethylene in reducing peel damage in citrus fruit, cytological responses of this horticultural crop to protective ethylene concentrations have not yet been reported. We show that applying high ethylene levels (2 mu L L(-1) for 14 days) causes sublethal stress as it favored the alteration of cuticle, vacuole, middle lamella and primary wall, especially in t…
Ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir, plus ribavirin for patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 4 infection with…
2017
Summary Background We ran a compassionate use nationwide programme (ABACUS) to provide access to ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir, with dasabuvir, plus ribavirin for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection and ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir, plus ribavirin for HCV genotype 4 infection in patients with cirrhosis at high risk of decompensation while approval of these regimens was pending in Italy. Methods In this prospective observational study, we collected data from a compassionate use nationwide programme from March 17, 2014, to May 28, 2015. Patients with HCV genotype 1 infection and cirrhosis at high risk of decompensation were given coformulated ombitasvir (25 mg), …