Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Università dell'Insubria
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Endovascular treatment of traumatic thoracic aortic injuries in patients with normal anatomy and anatomical variants: safety, efficacy and long-term follow-up
No full textPurpose: To evaluate the safety and the efficacy of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in patients with traumatic thoracic aortic injuries (TTAIs), analyzing the mid-long-term outcomes. Materials and methods: In this retrospective and monocentric study, 20 patients (46 ± 17.0 years old; mean ± SD) underwent TEVAR for TTAI from February 2012 to April 2023. All patients were subjected to computed tomography angiography (CTA) before discharge; afterward, the follow-up was set up by CTA or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Technical success, clinical success, safety, and mid-long-term follow-up were evaluated. Results: Both technical and clinical success were 100%. No procedure-related death was reported. Safety was 95%. In four (20%) patients the left subclavian artery (LSA) was covered; in one out of these four (25%), revascularization was necessary through carotid-subclavian bypass. In a patient with an anatomic variant of aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) a stent placement was required. The follow-up’s median duration was 17 ± 79.5 months (median ± IQR) and in three cases there were minimal complications: a stable type IA endoleak (EL) < 1 cm, a minimal irregularity of device’s links, and a millimeter bird beak sign. Conclusions: TEVAR for TTAI was found to be safe (3 minimal complications) and effective both in the short and mid-long term. Patients’ adherence to follow-up and contrast-induced kidney damage remains a challenge, but the use of MRI may be a valid alternative, avoiding ionizing radiation and the use of iodinated contrast media
Technical review by the ESPGHAN Special Interest Group on Gut Microbiota and Modifications on the health outcomes of infant formula supplemented with probiotics
No full textThis technical review, one of the five developed by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Special Interest Group on Gut Microbiota and Modifications (SIG-GMM), supports the preparation of a paper on the use of biotic-supplemented formulas, including those containing probiotics. The SIG-GMM conducted this review of studies published before December 31, 2023, to evaluate the clinical outcomes of administering probiotic-supplemented infant formulas to healthy infants (0–12 months). Following the review, all 20 members of the SIG-GMM anonymously assigned scores of 0–9 for each statement related to probiotic-supplemented infant formula. A score ≥6 indicated agreement with a statement, but a statement was rejected if 75% of the members concurred regarding its rejection. The systematic review included 28 studies on the effects of probiotic-supplemented infant formulas. The probiotics studied so far showed no difference compared to the control formula in outcomes such as anthropometric data, gastrointestinal symptoms, stool characteristics, allergy, infections, tolerability and safety. The studies varied in terms of probiotic strains, study designs, and intervention durations. The trials, primarily conducted in Western countries, demonstrated that probiotic-supplemented formulas were well tolerated, with no significant differences in anthropometric parameters and in the growth of infants compared to those fed nonsupplemented formulas in presumed healthy infants. Some evidence suggests potential benefits of probiotic-supplemented formulas in reducing gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, although the findings were inconsistent. This technical review provides the foundation for recommendations on the use of probiotic-supplemented infant formulas in healthy infants
Sfide nel settore stocastico dell’analisi dei dati di LISA
No full textIl Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) è un osservatorio spaziale pionieristico, progettato per rilevare onde gravitazionali nella banda di frequenze dei millihertz. Nel corso della sua missione, LISA si propone di studiare una vasta gamma di fenomeni astrofisici, che spaziano dalle fusioni di buchi neri massivi nell’Universo primordiale agli inspirali di oggetti compatti di origine stellare all’interno della nostra Galassia. In particolare, LISA sarà in grado di risolvere oltre diecimila sistemi binari di nane bianche quasi monocromatici, offrendo una comprensione senza precedenti della popolazione galattica di sistemi binari compatti.
Oltre ai binari risolvibili singolarmente, la maggior parte delle sorgenti galattiche rimarrà irrisolta, generando un segnale limitato dalla confusione, noto come foreground galattico, che si prevede domini la gamma di frequenze [0.5,3] mHz. Inoltre, processi astrofisici e cosmologici contribuiranno ai flussi di dati di LISA, dando origine a molteplici fondi stocastici di onde gravitazionali.
Il flusso di dati di LISA sarà estremamente ricco di segnali, con sorgenti di onde gravitazionali che emetteranno continuamente all’interno della banda di frequenze dello strumento. Tale complessità rende necessario lo sviluppo del cosiddetto Global Fit. Tra i diversi approcci proposti, il più consolidato prevede l’utilizzo di un algoritmo di Blocked Gibbs sampling per analizzare congiuntamente differenti classi di sorgenti di onde gravitazionali, includendo il rumore strumentale e i fondi stocastici.
In questa tesi ci concentriamo sulle sfide di modellizzazione relative ai settori stocastico e del rumore nel contesto del Global Fit, con particolare attenzione ai contributi astrofisici provenienti da sistemi binari di nane bianche, binari di buchi neri di origine stellare e inspirali a rapporto di massa estremo.The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a pioneering space-based observatory designed to detect gravitational waves in the millihertz frequency band. Over its mission lifetime, LISA is expected to probe a wide variety of astrophysical phenomena, ranging from mergers of massive black hole binaries in the early Universe to inspirals of stellar-origin compact objects within our own Galaxy. In particular, LISA will resolve more than ten thousand nearly monochromatic white dwarf binaries, providing unprecedented insights into the Galactic population of compact binaries.
Beyond individually resolvable binaries, the majority of Galactic sources will remain unresolved, producing a confusion-limited signal known as the Galactic foreground, which is predicted to dominate the [0.5,3] mHz frequency range. In addition, astrophysical and cosmological processes are expected to contribute to the LISA data streams, generating multiple stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds.
The LISA data stream will be signal-rich, with gravitational-wave sources continuously emitting within the instrument frequency band. Such complexity motivates the development of the so-called Global Fit. Among many proposed approaches, the most consolidated one is to use a Blocked Gibbs sampling algorithm to jointly analyze different gravitational-wave source classes, including instrumental noise and stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds.
In this thesis, we focus on the modeling challenges for the stochastic and noise sectors of the Global Fit. We mainly focus on astrophysical contributions from white dwarf binaries, stellar-origin black hole binaries, and extreme mass-ratio inspirals
Cascade Biorefinery of Furcellaria lumbricalis Macroalgae: Social Impacts and Integration into a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment
No full textThe sustainable valorization of marine biomass is central to advancing a circular bioeconomy. This study delivers the first integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) of a cascade biorefinery for the red macroalga Furcellaria lumbricalis, evaluating environmental, economic, and, crucially, social impacts. Addressing the limited attention to social dimensions in macroalgae research, a Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) was performed using the Reference Scale Approach aligned with ISO 14075:2024 and UNEP guidelines. Stakeholder and expert evaluations were applied to two process phases: harvesting and processing. The S-LCA identified notable social benefits, including strengthened local economic development and improved worker social security, alongside moderate risks in occupational health and safety, as well as wealth distribution. These results were integrated with environmental and economic indicators using a multicriteria decision-making method (TOPSIS), comparing the cascade biorefinery (PrAp) with two alternatives: a single-product system (AAp1) and a three-line extraction system (AAp2). The cascade configuration emerged as the most sustainable option, achieving the highest closeness coefficient (0.776) and demonstrating advantages in product recovery, economic performance, and social co-benefits. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the stability of these rankings under varied weighting assumptions. Overall, this research highlights the value of multi-product valorization strategies and provides new insights to guide sustainable blue bioeconomy development, especially regarding underexplored social aspects
Stochastic orderings for set-valued risk measures
No full textThis paper explores the portfolio aggregation problem within the framework of set-valued risk measures, with a specific emphasis on maximal correlation risk measures, as introduced in this work. We propose a novel stochastic ordering concept for random vectors and establish consistency properties for maximal correlation risk measures in this setting. Furthermore, we demonstrate convex-type consistency for a specific subclass of law-invariant convex set-valued risk measures, highlighting both their theoretical foundations and practical significance
Gamification, Exergames, and Digital Games in Older Adults Aged 75 and Over: Evidence on Well-Being, Quality of Life, and Social Engagement—A Scoping Review
No full textBackground/Objectives: Population ageing is accelerating, and adults aged ≥75 years
(the “very old”) have distinct functional, cognitive, and social needs. Game-based digital
interventions—including exergames, serious/digital games, and gamification—may promote multidimensional well-being; however, findings are often reported for broad “older
adult” samples without age-disaggregated results. This scoping review mapped the use
and effects of game-based digital interventions in adults aged ≥75 years and assessed how
frequently studies reported age-specific outcomes. Methods: The review was conducted in
accordance with JBI guidance. PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science
were searched. Records were screened in Rayyan by two reviewers. Data were extracted
using a standardized charting form, and outcomes were classified into predefined outcome
domains and implementation-related categories. Results: Nineteen studies were included, predominantly European and largely conducted in supervised institutional settings. Exergames were the most common intervention type. Physical outcomes were reported
most frequently, whereas cognitive, emotional, social, and quality-of-life outcomes were
assessed less consistently. Conclusions: In adults aged ≥75 years, evidence on game-based
digital interventions is mainly based on supervised exergame programmes and emphasizes physical-function outcomes, while age-disaggregated reporting and person-centred
outcomes remain limited. Future research should routinely report results specific to participants aged ≥75 and broaden outcome assessment to better inform intervention design for
the very old
Protected areas, habitat integrity and terrestrial mammal biodiversity in Lebanon
No full textPolitical instability, socio-economic challenges and ongoing conflict hinder effective conservation and monitoring efforts within Lebanon’s nature reserves (NRs) and thus threaten the country’s biodiversity. The first nationwide NR mammal survey in 2023–2024 employed camera traps and line transect sampling to assess species presence and evaluate the effects of habitat diversity and human disturbance on mammal richness. We confirmed the presence of 16 terrestrial mammal species, and species richness varied considerably across sites, with the greatest diversity found in large, ecologically heterogeneous NRs such as Shouf Cedar and Horsh Ehden. Although not statistically significant, habitat diversity was the strongest positive predictor of species richness (r = 0.45), followed by NR area (r = 0.40), whereas human disturbance tended to be inversely related to species richness. No significant differences were detected between the two survey methods. Despite logistical and security challenges, this study offers a baseline for future monitoring and conservation strategies and suggests that habitat heterogeneity is important for sustaining mammalian diversity
Drivers of seedling emergence and early growth of 12 European oak species: Results from a cross-continental experiment
No full textSeedling emergence constitutes a critical recruitment step, and early growth relates to plant competitive ability. Understanding their drivers has implications for forestry and forest ecosystem conservation, restoration, and adaptation to climate change. We seeded 6984 acorns in an experiment with 97 cases at 45 sites in 15 European countries, encompassing 12 oak species. We tested whether the quality of the acorn batch, site-level weather and soil characteristics, year of seeding, and species’ mean specific leaf area (SLA) affected the emergence and early growth of seedlings after the first summer. Germination potential and acorn dry weight, measured under controlled conditions, were positively associated with emergence and early growth. Seedling emergence was negatively associated with the mean monthly temperature and cumulative winter precipitation, and it was higher in the seedling cohort that was spared from the 2021 drought. Additionally, seedling emergence was positively related to soil nutrient concentration and negatively to increasing soil pH, but not to water-holding capacity, and growth was unrelated to soils. Species-level SLA was not related to either response. The four main study species –Quercus cerris, Q. ilex, Q. petraea, and Q. robur– responded similarly to weather but not to soil conditions. We conclude that, at a continental scale, and assuming that species establish within their current distributions, (a) oak seedling emergence and early growth are associated with acorn quality rather than species identity or SLA, (b) they are highest at sites with low winter precipitation and temperature, (c) emergence is reduced in dry years, and d) soil properties play a secondary role at this early recruitment stage