857 research outputs found
Porifera from ponta do ouro (Mozambique)
No full textThe diversity of Porifera from Ponta do Ouro (Mozambique) has been evaluated; this paper presents the first taxonomic effort devoted to sponges in the area, while studies of closeby areas are quite dated. Overall, 55 specimens were examined, leading to 26 described species; among these, four are new (Hyattella sulfurea Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov., H. pedunculata Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov., Amphimedon palmata Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov. and Phoriospongia mozambiquensis Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov.) and four (Chondrosia corticata Thiele, 1900, Callyspongia (Cladochalina) aerizusa Desqueyroux-Faundez, 1984, Clathria (Thalysias) hirsuta Hooper & Levi, 1993 and Ciocalypta heterostyla Hentschel, 1912) are new records for the Indian Ocean. For Callyspongia (Euplacella) abnormis Pulitzer-Finali, 1993, Callyspongia (Callyspongia) pulitzeri Van Soest & Hooper, 2020 and Amphimedon brevispiculifera (Dendy, 1905) this represents the first record after their initial discovery. The majority of the species have a wide distribution in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, but species from South and East Africa have also been recorded. These data highlight the characteristic of Ponta do Ouro as a transitional zone, located between a tropical and temperate biogeographic province, as well as the importance of increasing biodiversity knowledge of this biogeographic border to monitor possible shifts in the area as a consequence of climate crisis
Architettura. Il Mediterraneo della luce
No full textSelezione iconografica commentata di alcune architetture del bacino del Mediterrane
Author Correction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Italy: features on chest computed tomography using a structured report system (Scientific Reports, (2020), 10, 1, (17236), 10.1038/s41598-020-73788-5)
No full textThe original version of this Article contained errors in the spelling of the authors Roberto Grassi, Roberta Fusco, Maria Paola Belfiore, Alessandro Montanelli, Gianluigi Patelli, Fabrizio Urraro, Antonella Petrillo, Vincenza Granata, Palmino Sacco, Maria Antonietta Mazzei, Beatrice Feragalli, Alfonso Reginelli & Salvatore Cappabianca which were incorrectly given as Grassi Roberto, Fusco Roberta, Belfiore Maria Paola, Montanelli Alessandro, Patelli Gianluigi, Urraro Fabrizio, Petrillo Antonella, Granata Vincenza, Sacco Palmino, Mazzei Maria Antonietta, Feragalli Beatrice, Reginelli Alfonso & Cappabianca Salvatore. These errors have now been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article
The neurotoxicity of native metastable prefibrillar oligomers from salmon Calcitonin: an innovative amyloid-induced excitotoxicity paradigm
No full textProtein misfolding is implicated in different severe amyloid-related neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s and Creutzfeldt-Jacob’s. This process results in the aggregation of toxic small soluble prefibrillar oligomers (PFOs), almost ineffective proto-fibrils (PFs) and mature fibres (MFs). Many efforts are pointing to clarify PFOs structures and cytotoxicity. However, since their metastability, oligomers change their conformation along with the experiments leading to inconsistency in comparing data from different groups. Salmon Calcitonin (sCT), is a 32 amino acid polypeptide hormone displaying the tendency to self-assemble in the amyloid pattern, with a very low aggregation rate. This appealing feature allows investigating the effects of native PFOs in the early stages of neurotoxicity, without any chemical stabilization. We purified sCT PFOs enriched fractions by means of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) aiming to find who is the most toxic species, among sCT PFOs, comparing the biologic effects of native PFOs enriched fraction respect to sCT monomers. The intracellular Ca2+ rise plays a fundamental role in amyloid protein-induced neurodegenerations. According to what we found in literature, two paradigms have been explored: i) the “membrane permeabilization” due to the formation of amyloid pores or other types of membrane damage; ii) “receptor-mediated” modulation of Ca2+ channels. Therefore, we tested the effects of native sCT PFOs or monomers in differentiated neurons, employing Ca2+imaging, cellular viability, Long-Term Potentiation (LTP), post-synaptic densities protein expression, excised patch-clamp recordings, and miniature-Excitatory Post-Synaptic Currents (mEPSC). Results indicated that PFOs-, but not Monomer-enriched solutions, induced abnormal permeability to Ca2+, not fully explained by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) activation. We also found that the formation of small amyloid pores was consistent with an increased quantal release of neurotransmitters, able to drive a receptor-mediated response, per se. Thus, we propose an innovative neurotoxicity mechanism for amyloid proteins where the “membrane permeabilization” and “receptor-mediated” paradigms coexist
IoT in healthcare: A scientometric analysis
No full textThis paper reviews scientific articles and patents about Internet of Things (IoT) in healthcare. The aim is to explore both the domain of research and the one of practice simultaneously. We compare the annual growth, the country production, and the trend topics of publications and patents, by focusing on the most relevant themes concerning the IoT in the healthcare industry. The analysis started with the selection of the publications and patents for the period 2015–2020. Since this comparative analysis between scientometric data in healthcare is new, the findings of this study can represent the basis for future studies to determine novel research opportunities on IoT. The study provides scholars with a better understanding of IoT research in healthcare and simultaneously extends knowledge of entrepreneurship in this field. Practitioners may benefit from this review to understand new and underexplored opportunities
Comparison of Different Algorithms to Orthorectify WorldView-2 Satellite Imagery
No full textDue to their level of spatial detail (pixel dimensions equal to or less than 1 m), very high-resolution satellite images (VHRSIs) need particular georeferencing and geometric corrections which require careful orthorectification. Although there are several dedicated algorithms, mainly commercial and free software for geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing applications, the quality of the results may be inadequate in terms of the representation scale for which these images are intended. This paper compares the most common orthorectification algorithms in order to define the best approach for VHRSIs. Both empirical models (such as 2D polynomial functions, PFs; or 3D rational polynomial functions, RPFs) and rigorous physical and deterministic models (such as Toutin) are considered. Ground control points (GCPs) and check points (CPs)-whose positions in the image as, well as in the real world, are known-support algorithm applications. Tests were executed on a WorldView-2 (WV-2) panchromatic image of an area near the Gulf of Naples in Campania (Italy) to establish the best-performing algorithm. Combining 3D RPFs with 2D PFs produced the best results
QGIS Use for IHS PAN-Sharpening Application to Landsat 8 OLI Images
No full textIHS Pan-sharpening is one of the most performed approaches to transfer the higher resolution of panchromatic images to the multispectral ones of the same scene. It requires basic operations that can be easily carried out using GIS software also in absence of specific tools for Pan-sharpening. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the steps to be realized in QGIS, a free and open source software that permits to operate with raster files, to implement IHS Pan-sharpening method. The procedure is applied to Landsat 8 OLI (L8 OLI) images so to reduce pixel dimensions of visible multispectral bands from 30 m to 15 m and produce RGB composition with higher spatial resolution. The quality of the results is tested using appropriate indices such as ERGAS (Erreur Relative Globale Adimensionnelle de Synthèse) and UIQI (Universal Image Quality Index)
Land Surface Temperature from Landsat 5 TM images: Comparison of different methods using airborne thermal data
No full textIn this study, several methods to compute land surface temperatures (LST) from Landsat TM5 data are compared. Two different approaches are considered. An image based approach that takes into account atmospherically corrected data by using a dark object subtraction model (DOS-1) and computes the emissivity as NDVI function. The emissivity of a surface is controlled by such factors as water content, chemical composition, structure and roughness; it can be determined as the contribution of the different components that belong to the pixels according to their proportions. NDVI method takes into account that vegetation and soils are the main surface cover for the terrestrial component. This emissivity is used to compute the LST by the inversion of Planck function. The other approach applies atmospheric correction to thermal infrared band and considers a constant emissivity of 0.95. Furthermore, the land surface temperature is computed by hybrid methods that result from the merger of the two initially considered approaches. These results are compared with the surface temperature measured by airborne Multispectral Infrared and Visible Imaging Spectrometer (MIVIS). The LST measured by MIVIS sensor can be considered closer to the real surface temperature because the data are acquired at an altitude of 1500 m and are not affected by significant atmospheric effects such as for satellite data, acquired at 705 km from the Earth's surface. The best results are obtained by considering variable emissivity
Reconstructing endovascular catheter interaction forces in 3D using multicore optical shape sensors
No full textCatheterization instruments are increasingly being improved to accurately diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions. However, current catheter systems provide limited information about the shape of the catheter and tissue-instrument interaction forces during an intervention. Furthermore, relying on inconsistent feedback of such interaction forces during an intervention may result in tissue injury. This paper presents the first steps to estimate the interaction forces between a catheter and a mock-up arterial environment. We base the proposed method on a Pseudo-Rigid Body approximation of the catheter and integrate three-dimensional shape information provided by Fiber Bragg Grating sensors inside the catheter. The reconstructed forces along the catheter body can be fed back to the surgeon in visual and/or haptic form. In this work, the estimated forces are displayed in real-time in a graphical user interface with the reconstructed catheter shape. Experimental validation demonstrates a root mean square error of 0.03 N and a mean reconstruction error of 0.02 N
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