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On the effectiveness of convolutive type variational principles in the numerical solution of the heat conduction problem
No full textWe consider the transient heat conduction problem with boundary conditions regarding both the temperature field and its flux across the external surface of the solid, which is supposed to be thermally inhomogeneous but, for simplicity, isotropic. We formulate some variational principles by virtue of a bilinear form of the convolutive and bi-convolutive type with respect to the time variable. In particular, new formulations are obtained by dividing the time domain into two equal subintervals and doubling, as a consequence, the variables and the equations of the problem.
Thanks to the properties of some terms arising from the decomposition of the time interval, we deduce some min-max and min-stat principles.
The formulations are used for the numerical solution of the heat conduction problem through spatial and temporal discretizations considering a finite time range. Several numerical examples are included and numerical results are compared with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of the variational formulations in the numerical solution of the transient heat conduction problem.Finally, hints are given on how to extend the functionals presented here to the nonlinear case
Feminist Perspectives in Business Studies: Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship, Governance and Management
No full textFeminist Perspectives in Business Studies delves into the challenges faced by women in entrepreneurship and management positions. Bringing together an array of leading scholars from across the globe, the book uses a feminist lens to examine the structural barriers and societal norms that disadvantage women. This title contains one or more Open Access chapters
Anti-Inflammatory Pathways Modulated by Microbial Polysaccharides from Euganean Thermal Muds in Zebrafish
No full textThermal mud produced by spas of the Euganean Thermal District (Italy) has been used since ancient times for therapeutic purposes. Recently, the anti-inflammatory activity of microbial polysaccharides (M-PS), extracted from traditionally maturated muds, was demonstrated using the zebrafish model organism. However, the downstream signalling pathways regulated by M-PS remain largely unknown. In this study, to investigate the underlying mechanisms of inflammation resolution, we performed a transcriptome analysis on zebrafish larvae inflamed with copper sulphate and treated with M-PS. Our findings revealed that M-PS treatment down-regulated the expression of key genes involved in several inflammatory pathways. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis identified eleven up-regulated pathways (e.g., TNF-α signalling via NFκB, IL6–JAK–STAT signalling, p53 pathway, apoptosis, and interferon response) with components reduced in number and expression level in M-PS-treated larvae compared to the inflamed ones. Additionally, seven down-regulated pathways were identified (e.g., transcription factors E2F, MYC, and the G2M checkpoint). DEG-pseudotime analysis further confirmed the association of these genes with the pathways identified by GSEA. These results provide valuable insights into the anti-inflammatory properties of M-PS and the therapeutic potential of Euganean thermal muds for inflammatory diseases
Green Hydrogen from Treated Wastewater via SOECs: Pathway to Circular Economy and Renewable Energy Integration
No full textThis study demonstrates that Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOECs) can produce green hydrogen from treated municipal wastewater, presenting an innovative solution to reduce reliance on pure water sources and enhance sustainability. By optimizing thermal energy recovery, the system achieved an efficiency of 85%, generating up to 26.2 kg of hydrogen per cubic meter of wastewater. This novel approach could cover up to 20% of Italy’s 2030 energy needs, highlighting SOECs as a feasible technology for circular economy applications in hydrogen production
Working alliance, daily activities, and emotions in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and treating staff: a study with the experience sampling method
No full textBackground: Positive Working Alliance (WA) is linked to better treatment. Factors influencing WA between patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD) and staff are unclear. This study explores the relationship between WA and variables evaluated using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). Methods: The final sample includes 55 patients and 43 staff members. ESM was used to track patients' daily activities and emotions during the day. Generalised Linear Models (GLM) were applied to investigate associations between WA and ESM variables, and k-means clustering was performed to group patients. Results: Patients hospitalized for 1-5 years are associated with lower patient-related WA ratings (p = 0.040), while staff-related WA ratings are positively influenced by time spent "Getting around" (p = 0.024), "With other people" (p = 0.006), and "Alone" (p = 0.031). Cluster analysis shows that comprising patients who mainly spend time alone, has more severe symptoms and a weaker WA than patients who spend more time with others. Discussion: Extended hospitalisation is linked to lower WAI-P ratings, due to reduced trust and disengagement. Conversely, greater social interaction and mobility are associated with improved WAI-P and WAI-T ratings, suggesting that social and functional activity strengthens the WA. These findings highlight the importance of interpersonal connection and autonomy in supporting effective therapeutic relationships
EFSA methodology for assessing the impact of plant pests to ecosystem services
Get PDFIn 2022, EFSA was mandated by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (M-2022-00070) to provide technical assistance on the list of Union quarantine pests qualifying as priority pests, as specified in Article 6(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 on protective measures against plant pests. As part of Task B of the mandate, EFSA further developed the method for assessing the environmental impact of candidate priority pests, then applied it to the 46 candidate priority pests as part of Task C. This report details the theoretical principles and their application for assessing the impact on ecosystem services caused by plant pests. This approach is conceived to be embedded in the full process of quantitative risk assessment already applied at EFSA
Correction: Tumoral Melanosis: A Case Series of a Rare Clinical Entity
No full textIn this article, Table 1 was inadvertently published twice. The corrected version of Table 1 should have appeared as shown below (Table presented.) Clinicopathological features, staging, treatments of the lesions presented in our case series, and follow-up imaging studies performed Age (years) Sex Primary site of tumoral melanosis (TM) Clinical suspect First presentation Instrumental staging Surgical wide excision Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) Metastatic at diagnosis or progression of disease Instrumental follow-up Follow-up 65 M Right paravertebral Melanoma Synchronous melanoma Total body CT scan; axillary LN US Performed pN0 None Annual whole-body CT scan plus US of regional LN and surgical scar every 6 months for 5 years, then LN US plus abdominal US every 6 months Alive after 108 months 70 F Left arm Melanoma Primary cutaneous lesion Rx torax; Axillary LN and abdomen US Performed pN0 None Annual whole-body CT scan plus US of regional LN and surgical scar every 6 months for 2 years, then LN US plus abdominal US every 12 months up to the 5th year Alive after 105 months 45 F Left arm Melanoma Primary cutaneous lesion Total body CT scan with c.i.; left axillary LN US Performed Not performed Left axillary LN metastasis and intestinal metastasis 36 months after the diagnosis of TM US of regional LN every 6 months plus annual abdominal US until disease progression; subsequent radiological examinations according to stage IV of the disease and therapeutic reassessment Alive after 106 months 47 M Anterior iliac crest Atypical nevus with recent modifications Primary cutaneous lesion Inguinal LN US Not Performed Not performed None None Alive after 71 months 77 M Left auricular lobe Melanoma with satellite lesions Melanoma with suspicious satellitosis PET and total body CT scan Performed Nx (absence of contrast medium uptake in lymphoscintigraphy) In transit metastasis, diagnosed during wide surgical excision Radiological examinations according to stage IIIC of the disease and therapeutic reassessment Alive after 54 months 74 M Left scapula Basal cell carcinoma Primary cutaneous lesion None Not Performed Not performed None Abdominal US every 6 months due to concurrent diagnosis of splenic marginal zone lymphoma Alive after 51 months 36 F Left scapula Reed nevus Primary cutaneous lesion Total body CT scan; axillary LN US Performed pN0 None US of regional LN and surgical scar every 6 months plus abdominal US every 12 months for 5 years Alive after 40 months 57 M III finger of left hand Melanoma Lesion excised after finding lymph node metastasis from melanoma in the left axillary lymph node basin Total body CT-PET; left axillary LN US Performed Not performed (clinical lymph node metastasis at the time of diagnosis) Lymph node metastasis at the time of TM diagnosis Radiological examinations according to stage IIIC of the disease and therapeutic reassessment Alive after 34 months 64 M Left scapula Melanoma Primary cutaneous lesion Total body CT scan; axillary LN US Performed Not performed Left axillary lymph node metastasis 20 months after the diagnosis of TM Annual whole-body CT scan plus US of regional LN and surgical scar every 6 months until disease progression; subsequent radiological examinations according to stage IIIC of the disease and therapeutic reassessment Alive after 24 months 56 M Right suprascapular Melanoma Primary cutaneous lesion Total body CT scan; axillary LN US Performed Not performed (proposed but refused by the patient) None US of regional LN and surgical scar every 6 months plus abdominal US every 12 months for 5 years Alive after 11 months 69 M Right shoulder Melanoma Primary cutaneous lesion Total body CT scan; axillary LN US Performed N0 None US of regional LN and surgical scar every 6 months plus abdominal US and whole-body CT scan every 12 months for 5 years Alive after 6 months 54 F Left anterior axillary line Melanoma Lesion excised after finding lymph node metastasis from melanoma in the left axillary lymph node basin Total body CT-PET; left axillary LN US Performed Not performed (clinical lymph node metastasis at the time of diagnosis) Lymph node metastasis at the time of TM diagnosis Radiological examinations according to stage IIIC of the disease and therapeutic reassessment Alive after 3 months The original article has been corrected
Common origin and somatic mutation patterns of composite lymphomas and leukemias
No full textWhen two lymphomas occur concurrently or sequentially in a patient, it is a major question whether they derive from the same lymphocyte or hematopoietic precursor cell or developed independently. We studied four composite classic Hodgkin lymphomas (HL) and other mature B-cell lymphomas, and two composite mature B- and T-cell neoplasias by whole exome sequencing (WES). Analysis of their IGV genes revealed that three composite B-cell lymphomas originated from common germinal center-experienced B cells. WES identified shared somatic mutations in the lymphomas of these clonally related composite lymphomas, indicating their derivation from a common, pre-malignant precursor. Most mutations were restricted to one or the other of these lymphomas, likely explaining how distinct lymphomas developed from a common ancestral B cell. In the two B-cell/T-cell lymphoma cases, and a composite clonally unrelated HL/chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the lymphoma partners did not share any somatic mutations. In three cases, we identified potentially oncogenic variants also in cells serving as constitutional controls. These variants may have contributed to development of a composite lymphoma/leukemia. We provide additional evidence of frequent clonal relation in composite lymphomas, highlight the multistep transformation process of related lymphomas with a likely pre-malignant intermediate common precursor, and support the importance of constitutional variants in lymphomagenesis