1,721,190 research outputs found
Resilient power in hospitals: The S. Giovanni addolorata general hospital case study
No full textThe hospital's electric power system is typically complex, with a round the clock, 365 days per year required mission. Although normally the supply of electricity is taken for granted, natural disasters and terrorist attacks remind us how dependent we are on electricity and how fragile the system can be. In order to cover such a topic, resilience has been defined as the ability of a system to reduce the chances of a shock, to absorb if it occurs and to recover quickly after a shock. The paper deals with the resilience of hospitals' electric power system. In particular, the way how actual hospitals are able to face power loss following a disaster and whether the typical power system's layout is adequately resilient is discussed. Finally, the case study of an 800-beds acute care general hospital in Rome that has started its path toward power resilience enhancement is illustrated. In particular, a new 190 kW PV system has been recently implemented at the hospital, thanks to a European financing, and some low-cost-measures, as adoptable on the actual power system's layout with the aim of cost-effectively increasing its resilience, have been identified
Medulloblastoma: Classification (A Review)
No full textMedulloblastomas (MBs) represent a heterogeneous group of highly malignant primary tumors of the Central Nervous System (CNS), with prevalence in male and young age patients. MBs are rare tumors with a very aggressive behavior, characterized by a noticeable tendency to metastasize. A proper classi fi cation of MBs is important for the establishment of histopathological, diagnostic and clinical criteria, which would ultimately validate standard therapies, clinical trials, and epidemiological studies. Historically, classi fi cation of brain tumors has been based on theories related to histogenesis and grades of differentiation and anaplasia. The term “medulloblastoma” provided uniformity of classi fi cation to posterior fossa tumors in childhood arising from a hypothetical multipotential embryonal cell, the “medulloblast”, capable to differentiate along neuroblastic or spongioblastic cells. However, the existence of this progenitor cell has never been proven and its location in the developing cerebellum was also debated. The controversy on the origin of MBs raised other debates on the classi fi cation of these tumors: one hypothesis was to consider MBs as part of a larger class of Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors (PNETs), generically indicated as a group of undifferentiated embryonal tumors, arising in different sites of the CNS and at all ages. Another hypothesis supported the idea that different tumors derived from malignant transformation of resident cells in different areas should be categorized separately. Based on the different histopathologic characteristics, the location inside the brain, and the molecular genetic aberrations in the tumor cells, the latest World Health Organization classi fi cation of brain tumors lists MB and PNETs as separate entities. According to this classi fi cation, MBs are distinct entities listed among the embryonal tumors and are distinguished in multiple variants: classic MB, desmoplastic MB, MB with extensive nodularity, and large cell anaplastic MB. In addition to these two entities, two patterns of differentiation are also de fi ned: MB with myogenic differentiation, and MB with melanotic differentiation. This chapter focuses on the main steps that lead to the actual knowledge on MB and to its proper classi fi cation in the context of the brain tumors
NSP 5a3a's link to nuclear-cyto proteins B23 and hnRNP-L between normal and aberrant breast cell lines
No full textNSP 5a3a had been identified along with three other distinct though similar isoforms corresponding to locus HCMOGT-1 on chromosome 17p11.2. ( 1) Secondary structure analysis of the NSP isoforms revealed similarity to Spectrin and Spectrin like proteins containing coiled coil domains. ( 1) These proteins have been implicated and found to be involved in a plethora of cellular activities ranging from intracellular trafficking, cellular and subcellular integrity ( 2, 3) to being involved in protein-protein interactions with other structural proteins as well as involved in protein complex stabilization and scaffolding thus facilitating homo or hetero dimerization of protein complexes. ( 4) The NSP 5a3a isoform had been identified to be highly expressed in-vitro in particular cancer cell lines while very low to null in normal body tissues. ( 1) Subsequent investigation of this isoform revealed its novel interaction with B23 ( 5) , a known nucleolar protein involved in ribosome biogenesis, rRNA transcription, mitosis, cell growth control, and apoptosis. ( 6) We have since then, further elucidated its potential involvement in cellular processes such as ribosome biogenesis and rRNA processing by confirming and establishing NSP 5a3a's novel interaction with B23 and ribonuclear protein hnRNP-L, respectively thus possibly implicating NSP 5a3a in cellular processes such as ribosome biogenesis and rRNA transcription . Finally, an intriguing differential cooperation between these proteins has been observed in both normal and cancer breast cell models and additionally through siRNa silencing, we have found hnRNP-L as a potential novel regulator of NSP 5a3a
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Medulloblastoma: from molecular pathology to therapy
No full textMedulloblastoma is the most common malignant tumor of central nervous system in children. Patients affected by medulloblastoma may be categorized as high-risk and standard-risk patients, based on the clinical criteria and histologic features of the disease. Currently, multimodality treatment, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy is considered as the most effective strategy against these malignant cerebellar tumors of the childhood. Despite the potential poor outcomes of these lesions, the 5-year survival stands, at present, at 70% to 80% for standard-risk patients, whereas high-risk patients have a 5-year survival of 55% to 76%. Attempts to further reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with medulloblastoma have been restricted by the toxicity of conventional treatments and the infiltrative nature of the disease. Over the past decade, new discoveries in molecular biology have revealed new insights in signaling pathways regulating medulloblastoma tumor formation. Recent advances in the molecular biology of medulloblastoma indicate that the classification of these embryonal tumors, solely based on histology and clinical criteria, may not be adequate enough. Better understanding of the growth control mechanisms involved in the development and progression of medulloblastoma will allow a better classification, leading to the improvement of the existing therapies, as well as to the development of new therapeutic approaches
Role of p53 in the regulation of cellular senescence
Full text linkThe p53 transcription factor plays a critical role in cellular responses to stress. Its activation in response to DNA damage leads to cell growth arrest, allowing for DNA repair, or directs cellular senescence or apoptosis, thereby maintaining genome integrity. Senescence is a permanent cell-cycle arrest that has a crucial role in aging, and it also represents a robust physiological antitumor response, which counteracts oncogenic insults. In addition, senescent cells can also negatively impact the surrounding tissue microenvironment and the neighboring cells by secreting pro-inflammatory cytokines, ultimately triggering tissue dysfunction and/or unfavorable outcomes. This review focuses on the characteristics of senescence and on the recent advances in the contribution of p53 to cellular senescence. Moreover, we also discuss the p53-mediated regulation of several pathophysiological microenvironments that could be associated with senescence and its development
The calibration and the monitoring/alarm system
No full textTwo important parts of the DAMA/LIBRA setup are the calibration system and the monitoring/alarm system. The calibration system allows to perform detector calibrations without changing the running condition of the experiment; the monitoring/alarm system allows to record several parameters to control the running status and its stability. In this paper, we will describe the two system reporting some related obtained results
Power quality problems in hospital: A case study
No full textThe S. Giovanni-Addolorata (SGAH) general hospital in Roma during last summer has experienced a significant number of power disturbance events which resulted in expensive failures of electronics incorporated by both several technical systems and critical diagnostic equipment. A power quality investigation has been then started to identify causes and possible remedies since the interruption of computer and diagnostic equipment were of particular concern. The present paper reports the main stages of the power quality investigation jointly with some first results obtained from the technical-economical evaluations performed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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