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Design criteria for improving safety performance of rural intersections
No full textThis paper, on the one hand, aims to identify significant crash risk factors at unsignalized three-leg intersections connecting rural two-lane two-way roads and minor roads with a STOP control on the approaches (3ST) and, on the other, to make adjustments to the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) procedure, fine-tuning its Safety Performance Function (SPF) based on observation of the local context. Over an 8-year period of study, a total of 240 crashes on 35 3ST intersections were observed, with no geometric-infrastructure adjustments or changes in the Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) and surrounding context noted at the intersections investigated. To obtain reliable results, the study period was divided into two groups: (a) 5 years to calibrate a new SPF, and (b) the remaining 3, not included in the first dataset, were used to validate the results. A negative binomial regression model was adopted to calibrate the new SPF. It was found that the AADT on the major and minor roads, the intersection skew angle, the co-occurrence of left and right-turn lanes on the major roads, and lighting seriously affect the crash scenario
Parallel Domestic and Arbitral Proceedings: Italian Judges Still Distrust International Arbitration
No full textNONLINEAR DYNAMIC ANALYSIS PROCEDURE WITH LIMITED NUMBER OF ANALYSES AND SCALING
No full textIncremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is the most frequently used non-linear dynamic analysis procedure for seismic fragility assessment. Nevertheless, its implementation involves compli-cations such as heavy computational burden and potential bias in the results due to excessive scaling of the ground motion records. Cloud Analysis is an alternative nonlinear dynamic analysis procedure based on the structural response to as-recorded ground motions. Cloud Analysis does not suffer from the above-mentioned complications for IDA; however, it may lead to results that reveal too much sensitivity to the choice of the ground motion records. Anovel hybrid nonlinear dynamic analysis procedure referred to as “Cloud to IDA” exploits the predictive capacity provided by Cloud Analysis to perform Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) in a very efficient manner and with very little amount of scaling --without any loss of accuracy with respect to IDA. The procedure adopts as a systemic damage measure the criti-cal demand to capacity ratio (DCR). This facilitates to a great extent identification of the in-tensity values at the onset of the limit state (where DCR is equal to unity by definition) and thereby the implementation of the IDA procedure. Cloud to IDA procedure is applied to the transverse perimeter frame of an older seven-storey reinforced concrete building in Van Nuys, US. This frame is modeled in OpenSees with fiber sections considering flexural-shear-axial interactions and bar slip due to fixed-end rotations. The proposed Cloud to IDA leads to results that are identical to IDA, when the same set of records are used. All of this is possible with a number of analyses that is sensibly lower with respect to IDA
Stapler technique for in situ elongation patch in right kidney harvesting and transplantation
No full textA priori estimates in Sobolev spaces for a class of hyperbolic operators in presence of transition
No full textWe establish several a priori estimates of local or global nature in Sobolev spaces with general exponent s <= 0 for a class of second-order hyperbolic operators with double characteristics in presence of a transition in a domain of the Euclidian space R^3
Self-expandable sirolimus-eluting stents compared to second-generation drug-eluting stents for the treatment of the left main: A propensity score analysis from the SPARTA and the FAILS-2 registries
No full textOBJECTIVES:
To compare the effectiveness and safety of self-expandable, sirolimus-eluting Stentys stents (SES) and second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES-II) for the treatment of the unprotected left main (ULM).
BACKGROUND:
SES may provide a valuable option to treat distal ULM, particularly when significant caliber gaps with side branches are observed.
METHODS:
Patients from the multicenter SPARTA (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02784405) and FAILS2 registries were included. Propensity-score with matching was performed to account for the lack of randomization. Primary end-point was the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, a composite of all cause death, myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization [TLR], unstable angina and definite stent thrombosis [ST]). Single components of MACE were the secondary end-points.
RESULTS:
Overall, 151 patients treated with SES and 1270 with DES-II were included; no differences in MACE rate at 250 days were observed (9.8% vs. 11.5%, P = 0.54). After propensity score with matching, 129 patients treated with SES and 258 with DES-II, of which about a third of female gender, were compared. After a follow-up of 250 days, MACE rate did not differ between the two groups (9.9% vs. 8.5%, P = 0.66), as well as the rate of ULM TLR (1.6% vs. 3.1%, P = 0.36) and definite ST (0.8% vs. 1.2%, P = 0.78). These results were consistent also when controlling for the treatment with provisional vs. 2-stents strategies for the ULM bifurcation.
CONCLUSION:
SES use for ULM treatment was associated with a similar MACE rate compared to DES-II at an intermediate-term follow-up. SES might represent a potential option in this setting
Mies: l'ultimo Bauhaus e oltre
No full textIl saggio intende mettere a mettere a fuoco l’impostazione che Mies intese dare al Bauhaus negli ultimi anni del sua attività tra Dessau e Berlino. Inoltre, il tentativo è quello di mostrare che l’idea di Mies di collocare l’architettura, ancora con maggior forza della ipotesi messa a punto Mayer, come centro e cardine del programma di insegnamento come pure l’accorpamento delle varie discipline affini prima sparate in ambiti irrelati (decorazioni, metallo, falegnameria) nell’Interior Design, modificando sensibilmente l’impostazione gropiusiana, consentì a Mies e a Lilly Reich – che di quella impostazione furono i protagonisti - nel loro sodalizio umano e professionale, durato ben 13 anni, di raggiungere in alcuni progetti e opere condivisi - qui esaminati - qualità altissime sia degli spazi sia dei relativi oggetti d’arredo e a supporto dello spazio dell’abitare. Un rapporto tra architettura e design che nel tempo e sino ad oggi si è reso sempre “disunito” producendo percorsi solitari, disarmonici e autoreferenziali in una distorta scissione tra l’industrial design, l’Architettura di interni e la progettazione architettonica e le forme. L’ipotesi di curriculum dell’ultimo Bauhaus di Mies avrà, come è noto, in America il suo compimento mettendo al centro della formazione dell’architetto il disegno e la costruzione assumendo l'Architettura o meglio ancora come Baukunst posta, anche simbolicamente, ben “al di sopra” del Design inteso come mera produzione industriale di oggetti
Very light physical activity amount in FTO genetically predisposed obese individuals
No full textPurpose. Fat mass and obesity-related (FTO) rs9939609 polymorphism has a role in body mass index (BMI) increase and in predisposing to metabolic syndrome (MetS). Our aim was to investigate if a very light physical activity could counteract weight gain and MetS in obese subjects bearing the rs9939609 FTO polymorphism from Southern Italy.
Methods. Data of fitness components, anthropometry, clinical-biochemical parameters and FTO polymorphism in 78 unrelated morbid obese subjects from Southern Italy (15-30 years) were examined. Physical activity energy expenditure was monitored by a SenseWear Pro 3 Armband for 24 h/day for two consecutive weekdays in all enrolled individuals.
Results. Sedentary obese subjects had higher waist circumference (124.8 vs 117.9 cm, P<0.05), BMI (43.4 vs 37.7 kg/m2, P<0.0001) and fat mass (49.2 vs 44.5%, P<0.0001) compared to lightly active ones. Further, lightly active obese subjects bearing the rs9939609 FTO minor allele had a lower BMI than polymorphic sedentary ones (37.1 vs 45.3 kg/m2, respectively, P<0.01), and did not differ in metabolic syndrome presence.
Conclusion. Our results suggest that a very light amount of physical exercise is associated with a lower BMI in obese subjects bearing the minor allele of the rs9939609 FTO polymorphism
Lentiviral gene therapy corrects platelet phenotype and function in patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
No full textBACKGROUND:
Thrombocytopenia is a serious issue for all patients with classical Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) and X-linked thrombocytopenia (XLT) because it causes severe and life-threatening bleeding. Lentiviral gene therapy (GT) for WAS has shown promising results in terms of immune reconstitution. However, despite the reduced severity and frequency of bleeding events, platelet counts remain low in GT-treated patients.
OBJECTIVE:
We carefully investigated platelet defects in terms of phenotype and function in untreated patients with WAS and assessed the effect of GT treatment on platelet dysfunction.
METHODS:
We analyzed a cohort of 20 patients with WAS/XLT, 15 of them receiving GT. Platelet phenotype and function were analyzed by using electron microscopy, flow cytometry, and an aggregation assay. Platelet protein composition was assessed before and after GT by means of proteomic profile analysis.
RESULTS:
We show that platelets from untreated patients with WAS have reduced size, abnormal ultrastructure, and a hyperactivated phenotype at steady state, whereas activation and aggregation responses to agonists are decreased. GT restores platelet size and function early after treatment and reduces the hyperactivated phenotype proportionally to WAS protein expression and length of follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our study highlights the coexistence of morphologic and multiple functional defects in platelets lacking WAS protein and demonstrates that GT normalizes the platelet proteomic profile with consequent restoration of platelet ultrastructure and phenotype, which might explain the observed reduction of bleeding episodes after GT. These results are instrumental also from the perspective of a future clinical trial in patients with XLT only presenting with microthrombocytopenia