Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca- Università del Piemonte Orientale
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SCRATCH-AI: A Tool to Predict Honey Wound Healing Properties
Full text linkIn this work, we propose SCRATCH-AI, a tool which relies on interpretable machine learning (ML) methods (namely, Bayesian networks and decision trees) to classify honey samples into wound healing categories. Classification explores the impact of botanical origins (i.e., honey type) and key chemical–biological characteristics such as antioxidant activity on healing, assessed through wound recovery metrics. The obtained classification performance results are very encouraging. Moreover, the models provide non-trivial insights about the causal dependencies of some specific honey features on wound healing properties and show the effect of different honey types (other than the well known Manuka) on cicatrization. The tool is inherently interpretable (due to the chosen ML techniques) and made user-friendly by a carefully designed graphical interface. We believe that the information provided by our tool will allow biologists and clinicians to better utilize honey, with the ultimate goal of leveraging honey capability to accelerate healing and reduce infection risks in clinical practice
VITAMIN D3 MICROPARTICLES: THE CRITICAL INTERDEPENDENCE BETWEEN FORMULATION AND PROCESS STUDY IN SPRAY DRYING
No full textTextbook Outcomes and Minimally Invasive Techniques in Resectable Gallbladder Cancer: A Global Cohort Study
No full textIntroduction: Surgery for resectable gallbladder cancer (GbC) encompasses complex operative management, and evaluating surgical quality through textbook outcome (TO) is crucial. This study aimed to assess TO incidence and impact in a global cohort, identify independent predictors, and evaluate TO rates of minimally invasive (MI) techniques, including robotic (ROB) and laparoscopic (LPS). Materials and methods: This cohort study included patients undergoing curative-intent hepatectomy and lymphadenectomy for GbC (T1b–T3) from 2012 to 2023 in 41 hospitals. TO was defined as the absence of intraoperative transfusion, major complications, readmission, reoperation, or 90-day mortality, alongside negative margins and ≥6 retrieved lymph nodes. MI-TO additionally required no conversion. A 1:1 propensity score matching compared TO in open (OPEN) and MI approaches. Data were analyzed from July to November 2024. Results: Among 667 patients (MI, 361; OPEN, 306), TO was achieved in 205 (30.7 %), with no difference between OPEN and MI. ROB independently increased TO (odds ratio, 4.297; p = 0.002), achieving higher MI-TO (37.8 % vs. 23.2 %; p = 0.003), better lymphadenectomy (≥6 nodes: 55.3 % vs. 40.6 %; p = 0.009), and fewer OPEN conversions (1.2 % vs. 13.7 %; p < 0.001) than LPS. TO correlated with lower mortality (HR, 0.506; p = 0.001) and recurrence (HR, 0.682; p = 0.027). Conclusion: TO in resectable GbC is achieved in one-third of cases, with significant long-term benefits. MI is effective, with ROB outperforming LPS in MI-TO measures. These results establish a benchmark for centers to enhance outcomes
Processi per eresia. A partire da un libro non finito, un racconto, un saggio (1964-1976)
No full textPartiamo da una dozzina d’anni della nostra cultura, della nostra storia, tra il 1964 e il 1976, dopo la fine del boom e su fino agli anni di piombo, e da tre testi di tre autori (nati negli anni Dieci, Venti e Trenta del Novecento) a rappresentare il rinascere di un interesse intorno a tre personaggi differenti ma reali, tratti da archivi, che subiscono processi per eresia in un passato che sembra parlare al presente degli anni ora citati e in parte, pure e purtroppo, ai nostri: da Diego La Matina (1622-1658) – religioso nella Palermo spagnola di metà Seicento, in quel non finito ma prezioso libro sciasciano che è Morte dell’inquisitore (1964, con Le parrocchie di Regalpetra nel 1967) – a Paolo Caliari detto il Veronese (1528-1588) – pittore processato nel 1573 a Venezia per La Cena del Signore (poi Convito in casa di Levi) e storicamente ripreso in un racconto dimenticato di Neri Pozza, Processo per eresia (1573) (1970) – e a Domenico Scandella detto Menocchio (1532- 1599), mugnaio friulano, per ben due volte sotto processo, tra il 1583 e il 1599, nella ricostruzione che ne dà il famoso saggio di Carlo Ginzburg, Il formaggio e i vermi (1976). Segue una nota su L’Inquisitore, testo del 1975, poi «cronachetta» sciasciana nel 1985 col titolo di Don Mariano Crescimanno; proprio in quel mezzo i ben diversi Umberto Eco e Il nome della rosa (1980), forieri di ben altre tracce narrative e saggistiche
Spazio e misura: giochi e racconti creati da studenti della scuola secondaria per laboratori nella fascia educativa "zerosei"
No full textEmotion Alignment in Human-Robot Interaction: Effects on Communication Styles and Persuasion
No full textThis paper presents an experiment on the effects of inter-agents emotional alignment, a prerequisite for empathic communication, in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). We describe a pipeline built around the Pepper robot with the idea of verifying the effect of emotionally-aligned communication toward a user. In particular, our goal is twofold, in that we investigate if and to what extent an emotionally-aligned, empathic dialogue impacts on (i) the communication style of the user, and (ii) the persuasive effectiveness of the robot, intended as its ability to alter or reinforce its interlocutors' attitudes and beliefs about the conversation topic. Both these aspects have been assessed in a controlled experiment with 46 participants, comparing a condition where the robot addresses participants with emotionally neutral sentences with a condition where the robot provides answers tailored to the emotions expressed in participants' input utterances. Results show how emotion alignment acts as an effective trigger for the elicitation of different communication styles of the users but also that, contrary to what we expected, it does not play any persuasive effect
Comparative Analysis of Proximate, Nutritional, and Phytochemical Profiles of Soybean Varieties Using FTIR and HPLC
No full textCredibility of genetic predictors for antiepileptic drug resistance: A systematic Bayesian reappraisal of published meta‐analyses
Full text linkWe systematically reappraised meta-analyses of pharmacogenetic studies to evaluate the credibility of association between gene polymorphisms and resistance to anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane Library and OpenGrey up to April 2025. The methodological quality of the included systematic meta-analyses was evaluated with the AMSTAR-2 tool, and the credibility of the genetic comparison results was determined by the Venice criteria and two Bayesian analytic approaches, false positive reporting probability (FPRP), and Bayesian false discovery probability (BFDP). Of the 33 studies identified, 32 were systematic meta-analyses, all of which were rated as critically low quality by AMSTAR-2. Our reassessment indicated seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of four genes—ABCB1 (rs1045642, rs2032582), ABCC2 (rs717620, rs3740066), GABRG2 (rs211037) and SCN1A (rs2298771, rs10167228)—which could be regarded as potential determinants of response to AED. Among these, only ABCB1 rs2032582 (G vs. A and GG vs. GA + AA) was found to be noteworthy in Caucasian epilepsy patients under FPRP or BFDP at the pre-specified probability level of 0.001. However, the application of the Venice criteria to such relationships identified as weak the strength of the cumulative evidence for epidemiological relationship because of a potential publication bias. Our findings, illustrating the poor yield of genetic predictors from meta-analyses of candidate gene studies, underscore the need for large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and subsequent replication studies for identification of robust predictors of resistance to AEDs
Enhancing Nutraceutical Efficacy: The Role of M.A.T.R.I.S. Technology in Modulating Intestinal Release of Lipoic Acid and L-Carnitine
Full text linkA major challenge in developing new functional foods is effectively protecting
and releasing bioactive compounds in specific body areas. The Multiform Administration
Timed Release Ingredients System (M.A.T.R.I.S.) is an innovative method that coats active
ingredient particles with a permeable membrane, allowing for diffusion without the presence of inactive materials. This study aimed to test how M. A. T. R. I. S. modulated the
absorption and effects of two molecules: α-lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine. This study
examined the structures of these molecules with or without M.A.T.R.I.S. and investigated
their intestinal absorption. Peripheral nervous system analyses were also conducted to
confirm the ability of substances to maintain their functions in the presence of M.A.T.R.I.S.
Results showed that M.A.T.R.I.S. modulated the absorption of both molecules compared
to granular raw material forms (p < 0.05). Additionally, the M.A.T.R.I.S. molecules better
supported peripheral nerve well-being than their granular raw material forms (p < 0.05).
In conclusion, this study demonstrates that M.A.T.R.I.S. technology can be used to create
innovative, safe treatments by enhancing absorption mechanisms to improve the effectiveness of substances in reaching their specific target