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Adaptive cognitive control in 4 to 7-year-old children and potential effects of school-based yoga-mindfulness interventions: an exploratory study in Italy
Full text linkIntroduction: Recent findings showed that adaptive cognitive control (CC) can be instantiated by bottom-up mechanisms, including statistical contingency of event occurrence. However, the developmental evidence in this domain remains limited. Methods: To address this gap, our study delves into the exploration of different mechanisms underlying adaptive CC in a substantial cohort of young children (211 participants aged between 4 and 7 years). We utilized the Dynamic Temporal Prediction (DTP) task and a modified version of the Flanker task to assess the effect of context predictability on motor preparation/inhibition and interference control, respectively. Furthermore, as part of an exploratory study designed to evaluate the feasibility of a school-based program in Italy, all children underwent a re-testing session after an 8-week intervention involving yoga-mindfulness. Results: Results suggested that young children can exploit global probabilistic changes to optimize motor preparation/..
Optimization and assessment method to approach industrial site decarbonization: A case study of a light industry
No full textThe industrial sector includes a wide range of industries and processes for which a single approach or universal strategies for decarbonization can hardly be identified. In general, the most efficient way to decarbonize building sites consists of two phases: (i) reduce the energy demand and (ii) replace the fossil-based power generation units with renewable energy sources, possibly working on the management of HVAC systems to reduce the required peak power. Literature provides general rules and schemes, but no specific works on the energy retrofit of industrial buildings have been found in literature so far. The present study investigates an existing industrial district, using dynamic energy models of buildings tuned with the current conditions and compared with seven decarbonization scenarios. A neutral water loop exchanging heat with the ground has been studied, representing a widely replicable solution due to the higher heat exchange efficiency and the modular installation, which can be expanded within the site. The significant energy savings (28%) and CO2 emission reduction (up to 70%) obtained are representative of the potential achievable for many industrial sites in mild European climates, where decarbonization should achieve optimal cost-benefit results while minimizing the impact on the production through modular approaches
MPM-FEM based numerical analysis on responses of stratum and twin tunnels to water-soil gushing
No full textWater-soil gushing presents significant challenges in shield tunnel engineering, notably large soil deformations and complex interactions between the tunnel structure and surrounding strata. Hence, this study proposed a comprehensive numerical analysis procedure using MPM and FEM to examine the whole-process responses of strata and twin tunnels to water-soil gushing. To tackle the difficulties in simulating large soil deformations, a two-phase MPM approach is first introduced and validated through a detailed case study, and then soil and water pressures obtained from the MPM model are transferred to a FEM model for tunnel structures by utilizing a data interface. The findings of a case study reveal that the gushing significantly affect the surrounding soils, particularly in terms of variations in pore pressure and soil stress within the flow zone, which could lead to significant changes in shear forces and bending moments of tunnel lining. A parametric study investigated the influence of gushing location on the tunnel. The results indicate that lower gushing locations in the tunnel lead to larger variations in the effective soil stress distribution and flow zone patterns, causing a more dramatic joint opening and dislocation. This study provides key insights into the evolutionary responses of the strata and tunnels due to the water-soil gushing, offering valuable guidance for designing and maintaining shield tunnels in water-rich sandy layers
The paradoxical GH response at OGTT does not predict Pasireotide efficacy but matters for glucose metabolism
Full text linkPurpose: A paradoxical increase in GH after oral glucose load (GH-Par) characterizes about one-third of acromegaly patients and is associated with a better response to first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (fg-SRLs). Pasireotide is typically considered as a second-/third-line treatment. Here, we investigated the predictive role of GH-Par in pasireotide response and adverse event development. Methods: we collected a multicenter Italian retrospective cohort of 59 patients treated with pasireotide for at least 3 months, all having GH profile from OGTT. IGF-1 normalization or at least 30% reduction at the last follow-up visit defined a responder patient. Results: Considering the entire cohort, median IGF-1 levels before pasireotide (available in 57 patients) were 1.38 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) in patients with large (median size 18 mm) and invasive (82%) adenomas after failure of fg-SRL treatment. After a 40-month median treatment, pasireotide effectively reduced IGF-1 ULN levels in 41 patients, 37 of whom achieving normalization, and 4 with a ≥ 30% reduction. Thirteen patients were classified as GH-Par. The median pasireotide duration, dosage, and efficacy (9/12 responder in the GH-Par group and 32/45 in the GH-NPar) were similar between groups. However, the occurrence of new-onset or worsening glucose metabolism alterations (GMAs) after pasireotide was more frequent in GH-NPar (from 37 to 80%; p < 0.001) compared to GH-Par patients (from 69 to 76%), likely due to the higher prevalence of pre-existing GMAs in the GH-Par group before starting pasireotide (p = 0.038). Conclusions: The GH-Par does not predict the response to pasireotide in acromegaly but can predict a worse metabolic profile
Gypsum cave notches and their palaeoenvironmental significance: A combined morphometric study using terrestrial laser scanning, traditional cave mapping, and geomorphological observations
No full textTerrestrial laser scanning has shown to be a very powerful method for the study and monitoring of caves. The high density of acquired points allows geostatistical methods to be used in the elaboration of large datasets on different depositional and erosional morphologies on cave walls, roof and floor. Here we describe a multidis ciplinary morphometric study on cave wall morphologies and sediments in a multi-level gypsum cave system in the northern Apennines (Italy) with the objective of finding the direction of water flow that created these passages over hundred thousand years ago. The analysis of the traditional cave map (in long profile) suggests an overall, albeit very low, north-west inclination of the cave passages. However, other definitive indicators of flow direction, such as scallops, are absent which restricts the verification of this interpretation. The laser scannerderived 3D point clouds of the cave wall notches of the main level have been analysed using different methods to verify the paleocurrent direction. However, statistical analyses of the point cloud data have yielded inconclusive results, even if most flow-related morphologies appear to be gently sloping towards north-west, where the present main cave entrance is found. Imbrication of fluvial sediments prevalently indicates the same direction. While no single method provided conclusive results on its own, the collective evidence strongly suggests an ESE to WNW paleocurrent flow, confirming the ancient resurgence nature of the cave gallery
Observation of Cosmic-Ray Anisotropy in the Southern Hemisphere with 12 yr of Data Collected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory
No full textWe analyzed the 7.92 x 10(11) cosmic-ray-induced muon events collected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory from 2011 May 13, when the fully constructed experiment started to take data, to 2023 May 12. This data set provides an up-to-date cosmic-ray arrival direction distribution in the Southern Hemisphere with unprecedented statistical accuracy covering more than a full period length of a solar cycle. Improvements in Monte Carlo event simulation and better handling of year-to-year differences in data processing significantly reduce systematic uncertainties below the level of statistical fluctuations compared to the previously published results. We confirm the observation of a change in the angular structure of the cosmic-ray anisotropy between 10 TeV and 1 PeV, more specifically in the 100-300 TeV energy range. For the first time, we analyzed the angular power spectrum at different energies. The observed variations of the power spectra with energy suggest relatively reduced large-scale features at high energy compared to those of medium and small scales. The large volume of data enhances the statistical significance at higher energies, up to the PeV scale, and smaller angular scales, down to approximately 6 degrees compared to previous findings
Profili del secolo XI
No full textL'articolo offre un'analisi delle fonti bizantini relative a Venezia tra il secolo X e l'inizio del secolo XII. Dopo un'introduzione sui rapporti tra Bisanzio e Venezia nell'epoca considerata, sono discusse in dettaglio alcune testimonianze di fonti letterarie: la cronaca di Giovanni Scilitze (Skylitzes) e la sua continuazione ("Scilitze continuato"), la Vita di Simeone il Nuovo Teologo di Niceta Stetato, Anna Comnena, Giovanni Cinnamo, Niceta Coniata.
English summary: The Essays discusses Byzantine sources relating to Venice between the 10th century and the beginning of the 12th century. After an introduction on the relations between Byzantium and Venice in the period considered, some testimonies from literary sources are discussed in detail: the chronicle of John Skylitzes and its continuation ("Skylitzes Continuatus"), the Life of Symeon the New Theologian by Nicetas Stethatos, Anna Comnena, John Kinnamos, and Nicetas Choniates
