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Trigeminal influences and Locus Coeruleus: Tips for countermeasures, therapies and precocious diagnosis in dementia
No full textMasticatory dysfunction is a risk factor for Alzheimer ‘s disease (AD), likely due to the trigeminal influences on the Locus Coeruleus (LC), a structure implicated in neurodegenerative processes and whose activity level is reflected by pupil size. Chewing activity acutely stimulates cognitive performance by increasing LC activation during task, as reflected by an increased pupil dilatation (mydriasis). The presence of a trigeminal sensorimotor imbalance is associated to an asymmetry in LC activity (reflected by an asymmetry in pupil size) and is detrimental for performance. These observations prompt for developing testing procedure, in normal elders and in patients affected by AD, aimed to: 1) study the presence of trigeminal asymmetries and to assess the possible contribution of occlusal correction in improving the subject's condition and in preventing/delaying the AD development; 2) verify the stimulating effect of chewing on cognitive performance and task-related mydriasis as an estimate of the LC excitability for determining the subject condition and its susceptibility to undergo AD development. Procedures appropriate for achieving these goals are proposed
Conference on Precipitation Processes - Estimation and Prediction (PrePEP). Book of Abstracts
No full textOpportunistic sensing is an unconventional approach to data collection in practical applications
such as environmental monitoring, weather forecast, climatology, surveillance, etc., which uses
devices that are not purposely dedicated to this task. In the last 15 years, opportunistic sensing
gained a steadily increasing attention by researchers and nowadays a broad and solid literature is
available on this topic. In particular, the opportunistic use of pre-existing microwave links, either
terrestrial or satellite, emerged as an effective and promising technique for inferring accurate
real-time estimates of precipitation intensity from the measurement of signal attenuation at
the receiver site. Furthermore, the opportunistic use of signals received by ground terminals
of satellite services users/subscribers, mainly TV broadcasting (but also broadband access and
IoT), revealed to be particularly appealing due to the low-cost and the ease of deployment of the
receiving devices, which are acting as sensors. To this respect, this tutorial contribution is aimed
at: (1) illustrating, step by step, the data processing chain of a satellite-based opportunistic rain
sensing system, from the measurement of the received satellite signal strength (briefly addressed
to as ”raw data”) to the estimation of the precipitation intensity; (2) addressing the disturbances
affecting collection of the data and the technical challenges involved in their processing; (3)
identifying the key performance indicators to assess the accuracy of opportunistic estimates
against measurements collected by conventional sensors, such as rain gauges or radars;(4)
illustrating some practical case studies and outlining some future perspectives
Asundexian versus Apixaban in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
No full textBackground Stroke prevention with direct-acting oral anticoagulant agents in patients with atrial fibrillation confers a risk of bleeding and limits their use. Asundexian, an activated factor XI (XIa) inhibitor, is an oral anticoagulant that may prevent strokes with less bleeding. Methods In a phase 3, international, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation in a 1:1 ratio to receive asundexian at a dose of 50 mg once daily or standard-dose apixaban. The primary efficacy objective was to determine whether asundexian is at least noninferior to apixaban for the prevention of stroke or systemic embolism. The primary safety objective was to determine whether asundexian is superior to apixaban with respect to major bleeding events. Results A total of 14,810 randomly assigned patients were included in the intention-to-treat population. The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 73.9±7.7 years, 35.2% were women, 18.6% had chronic kidney disease, 18.2% had a previous stroke or transient ischemic attack, 16.8% had received oral anticoagulants for no more than 6 weeks, and the mean CHA2DS2-VASc score (range, 0 to 9, with higher scores indicating a greater risk of stroke) was 4.3±1.3. The trial was stopped prematurely at the recommendation of the independent data monitoring committee. Stroke or systemic embolism occurred in 98 patients (1.3%) assigned to receive asundexian and in 26 (0.4%) assigned to receive apixaban (hazard ratio, 3.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.46 to 5.83). Major bleeding occurred in 17 patients (0.2%) who received asundexian and in 53 (0.7%) who received apixaban (hazard ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.55). The incidence of any adverse event appeared to be similar in the two groups. Conclusions Among patients with atrial fibrillation at risk for stroke, treatment with asundexian at a dose of 50 mg once daily was associated with a higher incidence of stroke or systemic embolism than treatment with apixaban in the period before the trial was stopped prematurely. There were fewer major bleeding events with asundexian than with apixaban during this time
Evaluating Power Transformer State Based on Tank Vibration: A Graphical Approach
No full textTransformer vibration monitoring holds significant potential for assessing internal mechanical states. However, comprehensive analysis of power transformer vibrations is limited by the complexity of vibration sources and transmission pathways. Vibration measurements, typically obtained from the transformer tank, are influenced by operational conditions - such as the applied voltage and load - as well as the mechanical structure's state. These multisource and multitransmission characteristics complicate the extraction of intrinsic features, posing challenges for effective transformer state evaluation. To address these challenges, this study proposes a graphical methodology for power transformer state evaluation based on tank vibration analysis. First, mathematical models for core and winding vibrations, as well as vibration propagation from internal components to the tank, are developed to provide a theoretical foundation for the proposed methodology. Subsequently, the methodology is formulated as a graphical "vibration intrinsic triangle,"with theoretical proof based on the derived mathematical models. The proposed methodology is further validated through laboratory experiments - including no-load and load tests - and field experiments. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methodology is robust to variations in operational conditions and sensor placements. In addition, analysis of publicly available faulty vibration data confirms the methodology's effectiveness in detecting internal mechanical failures. This novel methodology offers a convenient and intuitive framework for transformer state evaluation using tank vibration measurements
«De manera que le entiendan»: una teoría lingüística de la traducción en "El Cortesano" de Boscán
No full textIl saggio esplora la teoria traduttologica implicita e deducibile dalla tessitura linguistico-discorsiva della prima traduzione castigliana de "Il Cortigiano" (Barcellona, 1534) proponendo il superamento di un approccio analitico incentrato unicamente sullo studio del lessico
Effect of Nutrient Solution Activated with Non-Thermal Plasma on Growth and Quality of Baby Leaf Lettuce Grown Indoor in Aeroponics
No full textInnovation in cultivation methods is essential to address the growing challenges in agriculture, including abiotic and biotic stress, soil degradation, and climate change. Aeroponics, a particular type of hydroponics, presents a promising solution by improving yield and resource use efficiency, especially in controlled environments such as plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs). Additionally, non-thermal plasma (NTP), a partially ionized gas containing reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, can affect plant development and physiology, further enhancing crop production. The objective of this study was to explore the potential of NTP as an innovative method to enhance crop production by treating the nutrient solution in aeroponic systems. During this study, three experiments were conducted to assess the effects of NTP-treated nutrient solutions on baby leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) aeroponically grown indoors. The nutrient solution was treated with ionized air in a treatment column separated from the aeroponic system by making the ionized air bubble from the bottom of the column. After 2 min of NTP application, a pump took the nutrient solution from the treatment column and sprayed it on the roots of plants. Various frequencies of NTP application were tested, ranging from 2.5% to 50% of irrigation events with nutrient solution activated with NTP. Results indicated that low-frequency NTP treatments (up to 5% of irrigations) stimulated plant growth, increasing leaf biomass (+18-19%) and enhancing the concentration of flavonoids (+16-18%), phenols (+20-21%), and antioxidant capacity (+29-53%). However, higher NTP frequencies (25% and above) negatively impacted plant growth, reducing fresh and dry weight and root biomass, likely due to excessive oxidative stress. The study demonstrates the potential of NTP as a tool for improving crop quality and yields in aeroponic cultivation, with optimal benefits achieved at lower treatment frequencies
Tuning In Vitro Cytotoxicity in Diruthenium(I) bis‐Cyclopentadienyl Complexes
No full textA series of diruthenium(I) aminocarbyne complexes of general formula [Ru2Cp2(CO)(L)(μ-CO){μ-CNMe (Cy)}]+ (L = NH3, [2]+; Py, [3]+, PPh3, [4]+; DMSO, [5]+; thiourea, [6]+) and [Ru2Cp2(μ-H)(CO)2{μ-CNMe (Cy)}], 7, were prepared from the tricarbonyl precursor [Ru2Cp2(CO)2(μ-CO){μ-CNMe (Cy)}]+. The reactivity of the diruthenium(I) vinyliminium complex [Ru2Cp2(CO)(μ-CO){μ-η1:η3-C (Ph)CHCNMe (Cy)}]+, was also investigated, providing access to piano stool Ru (II) cyclopentadienyl complexes with a five-membered metallacyclic ligand containing sulfur. The new compounds were characterized by IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (in three cases). The solubility in water, lipophilicity, and the speciation of [2–6]CF3SO3 in water/DMSO and cell culture medium are regulated by different monodentate ligands. Subsequently, [1,3–6]+ were tested in vitro against human ovarian cancer cells (A2780 and A2780cis) and embryonic kidney cells (HEK293), demonstrating moderate to potent cytotoxicity
Long-term dynamic monitoring of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
No full textDynamic Structural Health Monitoring, as a non-destructive method, plays a crucial role in the conservation of cultural heritage structures. Specifically, long-term monitoring enables continuous tracking of a structure's dynamic behavior, contributing to a deeper understanding of its responses to environmental factors and the progression of its condition over time. This paper focuses on the modal identification of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In the past, the Tower has undergone several dynamic identification campaigns; however, each was conducted sporadically and for only short durations. In July 2023, for the first time, a continuous dynamic acquisition system was installed on the Tower, featuring 21 channels dedicated to long-term monitoring of its acceleration response. The collected data were processed using the Covariance-driven Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI-cov) algorithm, implemented via MACEC Matlab toolbox. This approach enabled the extraction of the Tower's natural frequencies, vibration modes, and damping ratios, as well as the tracking of their fluctuations over time. The results were then compared with findings from previous dynamic campaigns and modal data from a Finite Element Model of the Tower. This research advances knowledge of the Tower's response to environmental influences and provides insights into soil-structure interaction, establishing a solid foundation for enhancing future structural health assessments of this and similar heritage assets
Uniform models and short curves for random 3-manifolds
No full textWe provide two constructions of hyperbolic metrics on 3-manifolds with Heegaard splittings that satisfy certain topological conditions, which both apply to random Heegaard splitting with asymptotic probability 1. These constructions provide a lot of control on the resulting metric, allowing us to prove various results about the coarse growth rate of geometric invariants, such as diameter and injectivity radius, and about arithmeticity and commensurability in families of random 3-manifolds. For example, we show that the diameter of a random Heegaard splitting grows coarsely linearly in the length of the associated random walk. The constructions only use tools from the deformation theory of Kleinian groups, that is, we do not rely on the solution of the geometrization conjecture by Perelman. In particular, we give a proof of Maher’s result that random 3-manifolds are hyperbolic that bypasses geometrization