University of Bari Aldo Moro
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Solutions for Mass Subcritical and Supercritical Schrödinger-Bopp-Podolsky Type System With Logarithmic Nonlinearity
No full textIn this In this paper, we study existence of normalized solutions for the following Schr\"{o}dinger-Bopp-Podolsky type system involving a logarithmic nonlinearity
\left\{
\begin{array}{ll}
\displaystyle -\Delta_p u-\phi u=\lambda |u|^{p-2}u+|u|^{p-2}u\log|u|^p +\mu|u|^{q-2}u
& \ \ \text{in}\ \mathbb{R}^3, \medskip \\
\displaystyle -\Delta\phi+a^2\Delta^2\phi=4\pi u^2
& \ \ \text{in}\ \mathbb{R}^3, \medskip\\
\displaystyle \int_{\R^3}|u|^pdx=d^p,
\end{array}
\right.
where
is the usual Laplacian operator, and d,a,\mu>0 are parameters. The unknowns are and the Lagrange multiplier .
We show that if , there is a solution in both mass-subcritical and mass-supercritical cases.
We show also that the solutions found converge to a solution of the related Schr\"odinger-Poisson type system as
Alteration of vasopressin-aquaporin system in hindlimb unloading mice
No full textMurine hindlimb unloading (HU) is considered a model of choice for simulating the physiological effects of microgravity on several functions, including fluid and electrolyte homeostasis. Microgravity causes changes in blood redistribution, modulating vasopressin secretion, a major hormone controlling water reabsorption through the vasopressin-sensitive water channel AQP2. In this study, mice were hindlimb suspended over 4 weeks or rested in the ground as controls, and vasopressin levels, along with renal aquaporins expression were investigated. Copeptin, a stable precursor of the hormone vasopressin, significantly increased as early as 1 week of unloading which correlated with a significant increase in AQP2 total protein expression and decrease in serum osmolality, suggesting early activation of the vasopressin/AQP2 axis in this model. Conversely, in 4 weeks HU suspended mice, copeptin decreased significantly and both AQP2 mRNA and AQP2 total protein expression were significantly reduced. Consistent with a downregulation of the vasopressin/AQP2 axis an increase in serum osmolality was observed at 4 weeks HU. The basolateral water channels AQP3 and AQP4 were, on the other hand, unaffected. Immunolocalization studies confirmed reduced expression of AQP2 in renal collecting ducts of HU mice at 4 weeks. A significantly increased amount of the expressed AQP2 was found phosphorylated at Ser261, a site regulating AQP2 protein stability and degradation. In line, p38-MAPK, committed to phosphorylate Ser261 and to increase miR137 expression, an AQP2 mRNA-targeted microRNA, was significantly increased in HU, suggesting that reduced AQP2 expression was mainly due to increased protein degradation and downregulation of AQP2-mRNA translation. Our results suggest that vasopressin/AQP2 axis is upregulated as early as 1 week and may be involved in the antidiuretic response also observed in early spaceflight period in astronauts. Contrariwise, the vasopressin-AQP2 system is downregulated after 4 weeks HU, likely to counteract the persistent central venous pressure due to cephalic shift of fluids
Tourism and territories: a multilevel analysis in Italy
No full textThis study examines the factors influencing domestic and foreign tourist presence
in Italian municipalities using a multilevel mixed-effects model. Key factors include
municipality type, number of accommodations, local services, and cultural and natural
attractions. Results show that coastal and historical towns attract the most tourists,
while mountain and hill localities are less appealing. The availability of accommodations
and cultural heritage plays a significant role, especially for foreign tourists. These findings
highlight the importance of tailored strategies to enhance tourism competitiveness
System-level techno-economic comparison of residential low-carbon heating and cooling solutions
No full textThis paper studies portfolios of electricity- and hydrogen-driven heat pumps, electricity- and hydrogen-driven boilers and thermal energy storage technologies from an energy system perspective. Thermodynamic and component-costing models of heating and cooling technologies are integrated into a whole-energy system cost optimisation model to determine configurations of heating and cooling systems that minimise the overall system cost. Case studies focus on two archetypal systems (North and South) that differ in terms of heating and cooling demand and availability profiles of solar and wind generation. Modelling results suggest that optimal capacities for heating and cooling technologies vary significantly depending on system properties. Between 83 % and 100 % of low-carbon heat is supplied by electric heat pump technologies, with the rest contributed by electric or hydrogen boilers, supplemented by heat storage. Air-to-air electric heat pumps emerge as a significant contributor to both heating and cooling, although their contribution may be constrained by the compatibility with existing heating systems and the inability to provide hot water. Nevertheless, they are found to be a useful supplementary source of space heating that can displace between 20 and 33 GWth of other heating technologies compared to the case where they do not contribute to space heating
Role of Free Radicals in the Pathophysiology of OSA: A Narrative Review of a Double-Edged Sword
Get PDFObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent sleep-related breathing disorder, primarily characterized by recurrent episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep. Individuals affected by OSA are at increased risk for a variety of adverse health outcomes, particularly neurocognitive impairments and cardiovascular complications, highlighting the clinical significance of this condition. A defining feature of OSA is intermittent hypoxemia, which contributes to the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the subsequent development of oxidative stress. The primary objective of this narrative review was to comprehensively investigate the intricate mechanisms of oxidative stress and elucidate their complex interplay in the development and progression of OSAS. Subsequently, we examined the current literature to identify the most promising biomarkers and pharmacological treatments related to OSA and oxidative stress. We found that biomarkers of oxidative stress have shown potential in assessing disease severity and tracking individual responses to therapy. However, none have yet to be incorporated into standard clinical practice. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard treatment for OSA. Nevertheless, antioxidant therapy has emerged as a potential adjunctive approach that may help address residual dysfunctions not fully resolved by CPAP alone. Both the use of oxidative stress biomarkers and antioxidant-based therapies require further validation through robust clinical studies before they can be routinely implemented in clinical settings
Sleep quality among Italian university students: the UnSleep multicenter study
Get PDFBackground: Scientific evidence demonstrates that poor sleep quality can lead to various health problems. This study aimed to investigate sleep patterns among Italian university students and identify several factors that may contribute to its quality.
Study design: Cross-sectional study.
Methods: An electronic questionnaire regarding sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and sleep-related habits, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire, was distributed between January 2022 and July 2023 among students belonging to 12 universities located in Northern, Central, and Southern Italy.
Results: On a total of 1,674 questionnaires collected, the participants (mean age 24.06±4.56 years, 71.3% F) reported an average number of hours of nocturnal sleep equal to 6.89±1.28 hours. A total of 927 (54.6%) of respondents showed a poor sleep quality (PSQI >5). Regression analysis showed that better sleep quality is associated with lower age, attending universities in Northern Italy, less time spent on electronic devices during the day, not being used to study at night and not playing videogames before sleep.
Conclusion: From a public health perspective, our findings suggest that public health operators should raise the awareness of young adults about the importance of sleep quality for maintaining good health, as well as the impact that certain behaviors can have on sleep
Sustainable agriculture, organic production and quality certification in the Italian wine supply chain
No full textSince the 1960s, a new model of sustainable agriculture centred on the interrelationships between the environmental, economic and social dimensions of production gradually become established in Europe. In the Italian wine supply chain, the theme of sustainable agriculture has been translated partly into the regulation of organic production, and partly into the preservation of cultural heritage and traditional production techniques. The first European regulations on “organic farming” were issued in 1991, while in 2012 specific European regulations enshrined the first wines with the “organic” label. While the debate on organic wine production legislation was ongoing, from the early 2000s consumers began to show a growing interest in sustainable products, so much so that sustainability became a major concern for wine producers. In response to market demands, producers have progressively modified strategies for the qualitative differentiation of their products, seeking to emphasize respect for the environment during cultivation and winemaking, and employing for this purpose sustainability certifications created by specific organizations. Starting from statistical sources, agricultural yearbooks and public reports, this contribution aims to reconstruct the history of sustainable viticulture in Italy
Symptomatic (STB) and Asymptomatic (ATB) tuberculosis in Italy: Results from a multicenter retrospective study
Get PDFObjective: Asymptomatic tuberculosis (ATB) represents a significant proportion of tuberculosis (TB) cases. This study aimed to compare ATB and symptomatic TB (STB) cases in terms of demographic and clinical character- istics, adverse events, hospital length of stay, and treatment outcomes.
Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 510 microbiologically confirmed pulmonary TB patients across ten Italian hospitals between 2018 and 2023. STB cases presented with at least one symptom such as cough, fever, chest pain, hemoptysis, dyspnea, night sweats or weight loss. ATB cases presented with no symptoms. The endpoints included adverse events, length of hospital stay, and incompleteness of the treatment. Results: ATB accounted for 36.4 % of cases (184/510). STB was significantly associated with diabetes (p = 0.03), hepatitis B/C infections (p < 0.0001), and history of TB (p = 0.01). Adjusting for clinically relevant confounders, STB was associated with higher occurrence of adverse events (odds ratio 2.04, 95 % confidence interval 1.31 to 3.23; p = 0.002), more severe adverse events (odds ratio 8.07, 95 % confidence interval 2.58 to 33.34; p = 0.001) and a 24 % increase in length of hospital stay (95 % confidence interval 7 % to 47 %; p = 0.005), but was not associated with incomplete treatment (odds ratio 0.79, 95 % confidence interval 0.47 to 1.32; p = 0.37).
Conclusions: STB is associated with a higher burden of adverse events. ATB poses challenges for TB elimination
due to its asymptomatic nature
Truncated Quantum Observables and their Semiclassical Limit
No full textFor quantum observables H truncated on the range of orthogonal projections ΠN of rank N, we study the corresponding Weyl symbol in the phase space in the semiclassical limit of vanishing Planck constant ħ→0 and large quantum number N→∞, with ħN fixed. Under certain assumptions, we prove the L2- convergence of the Weyl symbols to a symbol truncated (hence, in general discontinuous) on the classically allowed region in phase space. As an illustration of the general theorems we analyse truncated observables for the harmonic oscillator and for a free particle in a one-dimensional box. In the latter case, we also compute the microscopic pointwise limit of the symbols near the boundary of the classically allowed region
HAPLOTYPE-BASED GENOMIC ASSEMBLY AND RESEQUENCING OF THE ITALIAN ALMOND ‘FILIPPO CEA’
No full text‘Filippo Cea’ is one of the most widely grown almond cultivars in Italy, as it merges relevant qualitative features. Here, we report the obtainment of a haplotype-based de novo assembly of the ‘Filippo Cea’ genome using PacBio long HiFi sequencing. The two genomes, FC_Hap1 and FC_Hap2, have an estimated size of 306 Mb and 285 Mb, with N50 of 12.34 Mb and 17.35 Mb, and L50 of 7 and 6 contigs, respectively. Genes predicted in both assemblies using available Uniprot protein clusters and RNA-seq libraries from different tissues and cultivars, captured > 98% of the BUSCO gene set, indicating high quality of the genome. Aiming to study intra-varietal genomic variation, DNA from nine ‘Filippo Cea’ accessions sampled from different growing areas are currently being resequenced with Illumina technology. The results of this study add important genomic resources to the scientific community working on almond. In addition, they are expected to be of high value for the consolidation of ‘Filippo Cea’ in the agrifood industry, its valorization through a Protected Origin Declaration mark, and its use in breeding programs