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Lago-mare – A new scenario for the final stage and the end of the Messinian salinity crisis
No full textA critical review of the contrasting scenarios proposed for the final evolutionary stage of the Messinian Salinity
Crisis, the “Lago-mare”, suggests that each hypothesis may capture certain aspects of the puzzle. Integrating all
the scientific elements into a coherent framework remains a significant challenge. This impasse may stem from
the foundational assumptions of the prevailing crisis paradigm, which posits a negative hydrological budget for
the Mediterranean, its isolation from the Atlantic, and a dominant influx of low-salinity waters from the Paratethys.
The homogeneity of 87Sr/86Sr values, the absence of marine mollusks, the lack of unquestionable evidence
for both shallow water indicators in deep basins and for high-amplitude water level changes suggest a new,
comprehensive scenario, implying a positive Mediterranean hydrological budget and a continuous, albeit
reduced and possibly intermittent, inflow of deep to intermediate Atlantic water. The Lago-mare is interpreted as
a single, sustained event spanning the entirety of stage 3 (5.54–5.33 Ma), during which the Mediterranean
remained full of water, possibly maintaining a connection with the Atlantic through the paleo-Gibraltar Strait,
exhibited strong density stratification, and developed an estuarine circulation. We propose a tripartite water
column structure, comprising: i) a surface brackish lid (< 200 m thick); ii) an intermediate marine layer sustained
by Atlantic inflow; iii) a deep, dense, likely hypersaline layer formed during stages 1 and 2. The low
salinity of the brackish lid is evidenced by the absence of mollusk taxa typical of fully marine and/or marineconnected
shallow-water environments. The surface layer resulted from an increased freshwater input, not
necessarily derived only from the Paratethys, but also driven by a shift in the regional precipitation patterns
linked to the onset of the African Monsoon and the simultaneous uplift and emergence of the Apennine-
Maghrebian orogen in the middle of the ancient Mediterranean. Such a hydrological configuration led to
oxygen-depleted conditions in deep settings, as indicated by the apparent absence of benthic fauna and bioturbation.
The presence of euryhaline organisms, especially near the top of stage 3 and close to the Messinian–
Zanclean boundary, may reflect episodic marine incursions or brief hydrological shifts.
A mostly permanent Atlantic connection, along with a sustained marine underflow, could account for the
erosional features observed at Gibraltar because of flow action throughout the whole Messinian, as well as for the
Mediterranean base-level rise documented in the upper part of stage 3. This rise expanded shallow-water habitats
and may have facilitated the observed progressive diversification and proliferation of Paratethyan hypohalinemesohaline
(anomalohaline) biota, i.e. those inhabiting water bodies of variable salinity, but disconnected
from the marine setting. Under these conditions, the salinity crisis ended as the brackish surface layer gradually
thinned, permitting the inflow of Atlantic surface waters, inducing the shift of the circulation pattern to an antiestuarine
mode, the activation of deep-water circulation and the development of the Mediterranean outflow. The
return to fully marine conditions was rapid yet gradual, typically marked by a transitional interval and likely
progressing in a slightly diachronous fashion along a west-to-east gradient
Economic Speculation and the Sacred in the Talmud: Three Cases of Rabbinic Religious Intervention in Tractates Baba Batra, Pesachim, and Sukkah
No full textThis chapter examines rabbinic authority in Sasanian Persia through three instances where rabbinic authorities intervened to lower prices for the community. It argues that these interventions should not be interpreted solely through traditional legal frameworks, such as Talmud commentaries by Rashi and the Tosafot, or ethical lenses found in moral readings of Talmudic texts. Instead, they should be analyzed within the broader context of business ethics, considering the complex political and theological dimensions at play. The ethical considerations are rooted in the relationships between rabbinic, Jewish, and secular institutions. This perspective allows for a more nuanced discussion of economic issues and concessions in the post-Talmudic era, exploring the interaction between sacred and secular domains, and offering a deeper understanding of the economic implications of religious authority and secularization
Comparing environmental footprints of haemodialysis and online haemodiafiltration in Italy
No full textNEUROPATIA DIABETICA E FIBROSI EPATICA NEL DIABETE MELLITO DI TIPO 2: UN'ANALISI TRASVERSALE OSSERVAZIONALE DEI DATI DELLA PRATICA CLINICA
No full textINTRODUZIONE. La malattia epatica steatosica associata a disfunzione metabolica (MASLD) e la neuropatia periferica diabetica (DPN) condividono aspetti eziologici e correlati clinici. Diversamente, la relazione tra fibrosi epatica e DPN non è stata finora chiarita.
OBIETTIVO. L’obiettivo dello studio era valutare l'associazione tra fibrosi epatica e DPN e studiare i test epatici non invasivi (NITs) per la fibrosi epatica come predittori di DPN. METODI. Abbiamo condotto uno studio osservazionale, trasversale e retrospettivo che ha incluso soggetti con diabete mellito di tipo 2 (T2DM) e steatosi epatica che hanno eseguito una valutazione clinica della DPN. La valutazione neurologica ha incluso lo studio dei sintomi e dei deficit neuropatici utilizzando sistemi di punteggio validati, come il questionario Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI-Q), il Michigan Diabetic Neuropathy Score (MDNS) e il Diabetic Neuropathy Index (DNI). La definizione di DPN richiedeva la presenza di almeno un'anomalia tra i sintomi e i segni neuropatici. Il rischio di fibrosi avanzata è stato stimato utilizzando il punteggio Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), il punteggio di fibrosi NAFLD (NFS), il rapporto AST/ALT e l'indice del rapporto AST/piastrine (APRI). Infine, la presenza di fibrosi è stata studiata utilizzando l'elastografia transitoria a vibrazione controllata (VCTE, Fibroscan®). I risultati sono espressi come liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in kiloPascal (kPa) e un valore di LSM ≥7,0 kPa ha definito la presenza di fibrosi significativa.
RISULTATI. Sono stati inclusi ottantasei soggetti con T2DM (età media 59,22 ± 13,18 anni, durata del diabete 9,61 ± 8,87 anni, emoglobina glicata (HbA1c) 57,71 ± 14,28 mmol/mol, 61 maschi – 70,9%). La DPN è stata rilevata nel 43% della coorte. Gli individui con DPN erano più anziani (p<0,001), con una durata del diabete più lunga (p=0,009) e caratterizzati da una maggiore prevalenza di aumentata escrezione urinaria di albumina (p=0,011), malattia renale cronica (p=0,038) e retinopatia (p=0,021). Sono stati rilevati punteggi di rischio di fibrosi epatica (FIB-4 e AST/ALT) significativamente più elevati nei soggetti con diagnosi clinica di DPN rispetto a quelli senza DPN (FIB-4: 1,23 ± 0,66 vs 1,63 ± 0,85; p 0,018; AST/ALT: 0,89 ± 0,23 vs 1,11 ± 0,61; p 0,026). Inoltre, il gruppo DPN ha mostrato un valore più elevato di LSM (6,56 ± 4,23 kPa vs 7,12 ± 3,58 kPa; p 0,619) e il punteggio MDNS era significativamente e direttamente correlato alla LSM (Rho: 0,304, p=0,026). Considerando l'esame neurologico, è stata osservata una maggiore prevalenza di alterazione della sensibilità vibratoria valutata mediante diapason o della valutazione dei riflessi tendinei nei soggetti con fibrosi documentata rispetto a LSM < 7 kPa (rispettivamente p 0,025 e p 0,042). Infine, la valutazione qualitativa della sensibilità vibratoria o dei riflessi tendinei in soggetti ad alto rischio di fibrosi epatica agli indici FIB-4 e AST/ALT è risultata significativamente associata alla DPN (FIB-4 + alterata sensibilità vibratoria: p 0,047; FIB-4 + alterazione riflessi: p 0,013; AST/ALT + alterata sensibilità vibratoria: p <0,001; AST/ALT + alterazione riflessi: p <0,001).
CONCLUSIONI. Esplorando metodi di screening di facile applicazione e ampiamente utilizzati, la semplice valutazione qualitativa della percezione vibratoria o dei riflessi tendinei risulta utile ed efficace nell'identificazione della DPN nelle persone con T2DM e MASLD ad alto rischio di evoluzione fibrotica studiata mediante NITs.BACKGROUND. Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) share etiological aspects and clinical correlates. On the other hand, the relationship between liver fibrosis and DPN has not been well investigated, so far.
OBJECTIVES. We aimed to evaluate the association between liver fibrosis and DPN and to investigate the liver non-invasive tests (NITs) of liver fibrosis as predictors of DPN.
METHODS. We conducted an observational, cross-sectional, retrospective study including individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hepatic steatosis that performed an evaluation of DPN. Neurological assessment included evaluation of neuropathic symptoms and deficits using validated scoring systems, i.e. Questionnaire of the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI-Q), Michigan Diabetic Neuropathy Score (MDNS) and Diabetic Neuropathy Index (DNI). The definition of DPN required the presence of at least one abnormality among neuropathic symptoms and signs. Risk of advanced fibrosis was estimated using the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score, the NAFLD Fibrosis Score (NFS), the AST/ALT ratio, and the AST to platelet ratio index (APRI). Finally, the presence of fibrosis has been investigated using the vibration controlled transient elastography (VCTE, Fibroscan®). Results are expressed in liver stiffness measurement (LSM) as kiloPascals (kPa) and LSM value ≥7.0 kPa defined the presence of significant fibrosis.
RESULTS. Eighty-six T2DM subjects (mean age 59.22 ± 13.18 years, duration diabetes 9.61 ± 8.87 years, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 57.71 ± 14.28 mmol/mol, 61 males – 70.9%) were included. DPN was detected in 43% of the cohort. Individuals with DPN were older (p<0.001), with longer diabetes duration (p=0.009), and characterized by higher prevalence of increased urinary albumin excretion (p=0.011), chronic kidney disease (p=0.038) and retinopathy (p=0.021). Significantly higher risk scores of liver fibrosis (FIB-4 and AST/ALT) in subjects with clinical diagnosis of DPN compared to those without DPN have been detected (FIB-4: 1.23 ± 0.66 vs 1.63 ± 0.85; p 0.018; AST/ALT: 0.89 ± 0.23 vs 1.11 ± 0.61; p 0.026). Moreover, DPN group showed higher value of LSM (6.56 ± 4.23 kPa vs 7.12 ± 3.58 kPa; p 0.619) and MDNS score was significantly directly related to LSM (Rho: 0.304, p=0.026). Considering neurological examination, higher prevalence of alteration in vibration sensation by diapason or in tendon reflexes evaluation was observed in subjects with documented fibrosis compared to LSM < 7kPa (p 0.025 and p 0.042, respectively). Finally, the qualitative evaluation of vibration sensation or tendon reflexes in individual at high risk of liver fibrosis at FIB-4 and AST/ALT indices was significantly associated with DPN (FIB-4 + abnormal vibration: p 0.047; FIB-4 + abnormal reflex: p 0.013; AST/ALT + abnormal vibration: p <0.001; AST/ALT + abnormal reflex: p <0.001).
CONCLUSIONS. Exploring easy-to-apply and widely screening methods, the simple qualitative evaluation of vibration perception or tendon reflexes would be useful and effective in identifying DPN in T2DM with MASLD at-high risk of fibrotic evolution by NITs
Customer delight in AI-driven services
No full textThe presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the service context is bursting forth in numerous applications, leading customers to experience emotional reactions in important ways that have strategic implications for marketers. In this research, we reconceptualize the construct of customer delight in AI service interactions. Drawing on previous frameworks and seminal literature about AI service, customer delight, and literature on emotions, we applied a multimethod approach to unveil the elements of customer delight in AI service interactions, build a useful, novel scale to measure it, and test its effects on key relevant marketing outcomes. We also shed light on which aspects of customer delight are most relevant for different types of AI services. Finally, we give practical suggestions to managers and practitioners on how to make AI services delightful, drawing a useful roadmap in a rapidly evolving landscape
PopEYE - Infrared Ocular Image Dataset for Eye State and Gaze-Direction Classification
No full textThe PopEYE dataset is a specialized collection of 14,976 near-infrared (NIR) images of the human eye region, specifically designed to support the development and benchmarking of computer vision algorithms for eye-state detection and coarse gaze-direction classification. Each image is provided in a fixed resolution of 772 × 520 pixels in 8-bit grayscale PNG format. The acquisition was performed frontally using a custom-developed Maxwellian-view optical configuration, consisting of a board-level CMOS camera and a specialized lens system where the subject's eye is precisely positioned at the focal point. This setup ensures a high-contrast representation of the anterior segment, making the pupil, iris, limbus, and portions of the sclera and eyelids clearly distinguishable under stable 850 nm infrared illumination.
The dataset is categorized into six mutually exclusive classes identified through manual annotation supported by fixed visual aids and an expert system algorithm. The classification includes a correct positioning class for eyes open and properly aligned for clinical measurements (8,160 images), a closed class representing full eye closures such as blinks or sustained lid closure (1,790 images), and four directional classes representing gaze shifts relative to the central optical axis, specifically up (1,379 images), down (1,015 images), left (1,296 images), and right (1,336 images). The data captures the natural anatomical variability of 22 subjects and incorporates common real-world artifacts such as specular reflections from NIR sources and partial pupil occlusions by eyelashes or eyelids. By providing standardized labels and high-resolution NIR imagery, PopEYE serves as a robust resource for training machine learning models intended for real-time patient monitoring during ophthalmic examinations
