86,606 research outputs found
Assaggi di sperimentazioni: Cavalera, Frixione, Voce
No full textAnalisi della poesia di Cavalera, Frixione e Voce, tre autori importanti nello spazio della scrittura di Ricerca e del Gruppo 9
Neurogenic Bladder in Dogs, Cats and Humans: A Comparative Review of Neurological Diseases
No full textLower urinary tract disease (LUTD) includes abnormalities in the structure and function of the bladder and the urethra. LUTD caused by neurological disease is defined neurogenic bladder (NB). The integrity of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) is required to explicate normal micturition, maintaining the proper function of bladder and urethra. The location and type of neurological lesions influence the pattern of clinical manifestations, potential treatment, and prognosis. Though, in dogs and cats, spinal cord injury is considered mainly responsible for bladder and/or urethra incompetence, other disorders, congenital or acquired, involving CNS or PNS, could play a role in NB. In veterinary medicine, the information about the epidemiology, prevalence, etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of NB are scattered. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the epidemiology, prevalence, clinical findings, diagnosis and prognosis for NB in dogs and cats compared with humans
Asthma expectations predict symptoms over time: a longitudinal cohort study
No full textBackground: Illness expectations are cognitive schemas, both explicit and implicit, describing
how symptoms are expected to be in the future. They can be particularly relevant to
disease in a mind/body framework. Asthma is a condition in which the psychological aspects
can highly influence the body, but no study has directly explored these specific expectations,
and no dedicated assessment tools are available.
Methods: We developed a questionnaire to assess the illness expectations, together with an
ad hoc version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). We tested its factorial structure, and
the internal and test–retest validity, recruiting a sample of 183 asthmatic people. We also
explored the convergent validity and the correlations with objective and subjective clinical
assessments.
Results: Data suggested a three-factorial structure of the questionnaire into expectations
about future symptoms, change in current health status, and rigidity of these expectations.
The questionnaire showed good psychometric properties and strong associations with the
other considered outcomes, including implicit expectations. The implicit evaluation, however,
lacked test–retest reliability.
Conclusion: The questionnaire is a valid tool to assess illness expectations in people with
asthma. The two expectation scales are highly related, and the implicit expectations are
moderately associated with the explicit ones. The lack of stability related to IAT results may
reflect a lack of stability of the implicit expectations. The implications for the mind/body
framework still need to be fully explored
Deceptive behavior in doping related interviews: The case of Lance Armstrong
No full textObjectives: The aim of the present study is to investigate the organization of Armstrong’s nonverbal
behavior in deceptive statements and in those statements in which deception is not proven. The final aim
of this study is to show that T-pattern methodology can be a useful tool in research about doping
behavior.
Design: In this observational study we focused on Armstrong’s micro-expressions (action units, gaze
movements, head movements) drawing observational material from different videos excerpts where
Armstrong made doping-related statements. A baseline of Armstrong’s deceptive behavior was established
by selecting three video samples from 2005 in which he fully denied ever having taken
performance-enhancing drugs. They were compared to the interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey in
January 2013, in which he admitted doping but denied the specific charges of bullying and corruption.
Method: Our approach is based on the detection of statistically significant hierarchical sequences of
behaviors in time, called T-patterns (temporal patterns). The algorithm, implemented in Theme software,
determines whether apparently arbitrary events sequentially repeat, within a specified time interval, at a
rate greater than that expected by chance.
Results: Data analyses allowed identifying distinctive patterns for each of the two conditions. The
baseline showed a very limited number of patterns, highlighting low level of complexity and the presence
of stereotyped behaviors. In the Oprah video samples, the number and complexity of distinctive
patterns was significantly higher, and most of them included gaze shifting behaviors.
Conclusions: T-pattern methodology might be an effective strategy to detect nonverbal features of
deception, integrated with more traditional and established practice, in order to improve anti-doping
measures and fight this spreading phenomenon
Illness expectations predict the development of influenza-like symptoms over the winter season
No full textObjective: This study explores the hypothesis that cognitive expectations of catching influenza-like symptoms increase the chances of developing the symptoms over the winter season. Design: Self-reported data from 247 healthy volunteers were obtained twice, before and after the winter season. In the first assessment, expectations about developing influenza-like symptoms in the incoming months were charted. This data was matched with a post-winter assessment of the actual development of the symptoms. Results: The odds of developing symptoms were highly associated with the expectations declared months before (OR = 1.776), and the association remained stable (OR = 1.453) even when accounting for previous influenza-like illnesses and the perception of general health. In contrast with previous findings, perceived stress was not associated with symptom development. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis of a self-fulfilling prophecy mechanism related to influenza-like symptoms
Effect of polymerization time on the binding properties of ciprofloxacin-imprinted nanomips prepared by solid-phase synthesis
No full textAn innovative approach to imprinted nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) is represented by solid-phase synthesis. Since the polymeric chains grow over time and rearrange themselves around the template, the binding properties of nanoMIPs could depend on the polymerization time. Here we present an explorative study about the effect of different polymerization times on the binding properties of ciprofloxacin-imprinted nanoMIPs. The binding properties towards ciprofloxacin were studied by measuring the binding affinity constants (Keq ) and the kinetic rate constants (kd, ka ). Furthermore, selectivity and nonspecific binding were valued by measuring the rebinding of levofloxacin onto ciprofloxacin-imprinted nanoMIPs and ciprofloxacin onto diclofenac-imprinted nanoMIPs, respectively. The results show that different polymerization times produce nanoMIPs with different binding properties: short polymerization times (15 min) produced nanoMIPs with high binding affinity but low selectivity (Keq > 107 mol L−1, α ≈ 1); medium polymerization times (30 min–2 h) produced nanoMIPs with high binding affinity and selectivity (Keq ≥ 106 mol L−1, α 2 h) produced nanoMIPs with low binding affinity, fast dissociation kinetics and low selectivity (Keq ≤ 106 mol L−1, kdis > 0.2 min−1, α ≈ 1). The results can be explained as the combined effect of rearrangement and progressive stiffening of the polymer chains around the template molecules
Electronic system for improvement of solar plant efficiency by optimized algorithm implemented in biaxial solar trackers
No full textIn this paper it is described an algorithm, implemented in a biaxial solar tracker, that can instantly calculate the sun position at the latitude and longitude of a set point. The algorithm can drive up to two engines which are able to change the position of a solar panel, in order to increase its efficiency, for tracking the sun in its movement from east to west (azimuth motion) and in its elevation up to solar noon (tilt motion). The whole system is adaptable to various types of structures as it involves a cycle of self-learning of the structure and consequently the adaptation of calculations to the tracker on which it is installed
Variations on the Author
No full text“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
IVM of mouse fully grown germinal vesicle oocytes upon a feeder layer of selected cumulus cells enhances their developmental competence
No full textIn the mouse, the use of the DNA-binding fluorochrome Hoechst 33342 allows the classification of fully-grown antral oocytes into two categories distinguished by their chromatin conformation: surrounding nucleolus (SN) and not-surrounding nucleolus (NSN) oocytes, the former capable of completing development, the latter unable to proceed beyond the 2-cell stage. In the present study, time-lapse observation of SN and NSN oocyte GV-to-MII transition highlighted differences in the timing of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and polar body I (PB-I) extrusion. PB-I extrusion, but not GVBD, revealed the presence of three main groups of significantly different oocytes: Group A (456-576 min) comprising mainly SN oocytes (91.4%), group B (584-728 min) entailing an almost equivalent percentage of SN (52.7%) and NSN (47.3%) oocytes, whereas group C (736-896 min) consisting of almost all NSN (94.4%) oocytes. In a further set of time-lapse experiments, GV oocytes were in vitro matured without Hoechst staining and, depending on the timing of PB-I extrusion, sorted into group A, B or C, inseminated with sperm and observed throughout preimplantation. The results show that 26.2 ± 12.3% of group A, 2.4 ± 5.0% of group B and none of group C MII oocytes developed to blastocyst. Overall, this study shows that SN oocytes that complete MI earlier are those with a better developmental competence. The possibility to avoid the use of the invasive DNA-binding fluorochrome Hoechst is relevant for future applications in human and domestic animal reproductive technologies
Role of Gut Microbiota through Gut–Brain Axis in Epileptogenesis: A Systematic Review of Human and Veterinary Medicine
No full textCanine idiopathic epilepsy is a common neurological disease characterized by the enduring predisposition of the cerebral cortex to generate seizures. An etiological explanation has not been fully identified in humans and dogs, and, among the presumed causes, several studies support the possible involvement of gut microbiota. In this review, the authors summarize the evidence of the reasonable role of gut microbiota in epilepsy through the so-called gut–brain axis. The authors provide an overview of recent clinical and preclinical studies in humans and dogs in which the modulation of intestinal permeability, the alteration of local immune response, and the alteration in production of essential metabolites and neurotransmitters associated with dysbiosis could be responsible for the pathogenesis of canine epilepsy. A systematic review of the literature, following the PRISMA guidelines, was performed in two databases (PubMed and Web of Science). Eleven studies were included and reviewed supporting the connection between gut microbiota and epilepsy via the gut–brain axis
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