16 research outputs found
Anomalia di forma dei globuli rossi e danno ossidativo nella membrana eritrocitaria nella sindrome di Rett
No full textIn condizioni fisiologiche, i globuli
rossi - cellule dalle dimensioni di
7-8 m (millesimo di mm) - mostrano
una caratteristica forma a disco
biconcavo (discociti), di importanza
chiave per tutte le loro funzioni,
quali la deformabilità (per adattarsi
alle sinuosità della rete circolatoria),
e lo scambio di ossigeno (O2), ma
sono molto suscettibili a cambiamenti
morfologici, con conseguente
perdita della loro funzionalità.
Tra i fattori che causano alterazioni
morfologiche ci possono essere i
cambiamenti di osmolarità, di pH,
condizioni di ipossia e presenza
di ossidanti (sostanze o molecole
che possono indurre stress ossidativo)
[1-5]. I globuli rossi a causa
degli alti livelli di ferro cellulare e
della proprietà dell’emoglobina ad
auto-ossidarsi, sono una costante
sorgente di produzione di ossidanti
(radicali liberi dell’ossigeno
come l’anione superossido) [6,7] e
di ferro in forma libera (NPBI), cioè
non legato a proteine, redox attivo.
Stress ossidativo (SO) e ipossia
possono portare ad alterazioni nella
forma dei globuli rossi in pazienti
adulti con malattia polmonare cronica
ostruttiva (COPD) [7,8].
Nella forma tipica della sindrome
di Rett (RTT ) il nostro gruppo ha
dimostrato la presenza di ipossia
cronica, alterati scambi di gas a
livello polmonare, aumentato SO
e lesioni morfologiche polmonari,
simili a quelle evidenziabili nella
malattia polmonare interstiziale associata
a bronchiolite respiratoria
dei fumatori (RB-ILD) [9,10]. Nonostante
i globuli rossi svolgano un
ruolo fondamentale nel trasporto e
scambio di O2 nei mammiferi, finora
non esistevano informazioni sulla
morfologia dei globuli rossi nelle
bimbe e ragazze affette da RTT .
In particolare, nei nostri precedenti
studi avevamo dimostrato che lo
SO è in grado di indurre nei globuli
rossi rilascio di NPBI, formazione di
metemoglobina (Met-Hb) e alterazioni
ossidative dei lipidi (perossidazione
lipidica) e delle proteine di
membrana [11].
Quindi nel presente studio abbiamo
valutato se lo SO possa indurre
cambiamenti morfologici e danno
ossidativo nei globuli rossi di pazienti
Rett con forma classica. La
forma dei globuli rossi in pazienti
RTT e in soggetti sani è stata
correlata ai marker di SO, stato di
ossigenazione, scambi gassosi
polmonari e vari parametri cardiorespiratori
KTT 2.0 - Vietnamese Soviet Housing District, Hanoi, Vietnam
No full textThe KTT (‘Khu Tap The’; Dormitory Region) district is a housing district based on the Soviet microrayon (microdistrict). In contrast to other former or current communist countries, the microrayons in Hanoi have transformed greatly. This occurred from 1986 when Vietnam entered a free market economy by setting up its Doi-Moi (reformation) policy. Ever since Vietnam finds itself in a paradoxical situation: “a one party communist regime overseeing a Wild-West style of capitalism” (World Crunch News, 2013). Today the public spaces in between the KTT housing blocks have been filled up with slum-like developments due to overcrowding and lack of buildings regulations. The paradoxical situation of contemporary Vietnam is the starting point for a new type of housing district: the KTT 2.0. This housing district is more flexible and open to the rapid changes in culture, economy and politics that are taking place in Vietnam today. At the same time it partly preserves the ideals with which these microrayons were designed. The new design is worked out from bottom-up in one of the existing KTT districts: The KTT Kim Lien. Based on thorough research and analyses, requirements were set up to create a type of housing block which is able to meet the variable demands of its inhabitants. This housing block replaces the existing ones and is part of three different types of blocks which, together with various street section designs, form the tools to the creation of new types of (smaller) KTT districts.Vertical Cities AsiaArchitectureArchitecture and The Built Environmen
La Corte costituzionale e il nuovo orizzonte della tutela multilivello dei diritti fondamentali alla luce della riflessione di S. Panunzio
No full textThe author examines the relationship between the Italian constitutional court and the Strasbourg and Luxembourg court in protecting fundamental rights in Europe. Interpretation of article 117 par. 1 of the Constitution offers new elements to the reflection over the solution of contrasts among internal and European Union law
Increase quantum computing technology readiness level through experimentation in space
No full textThe exploitation of quantum physics and of quantum states superposition and entanglement properties for computing applications has been studied since 1980s [1] [2] for their disrupting potential in the evolution of information theory. Although quantum computing is still in its infancy, experiments have been carried out and proto-types have been developed, showing promising results for future commercial applications [3] [4] [5] [6]. Research in both theoretical and practical areas continues at a frantic pace, and many national governments, research institutions and military funding agencies support quantum computing research to develop quantum computers for both civilian and national security purposes, such as cryptanalysis, genetics, drugs and disease research, materials science and design and so on [2]. Thanks to its computing power, the usage of quantum computing capabilities in orbit would bring priceless benefits to space and enable novel methodologies and technologies to improve both on ground and in space applications. On-board cyber-security, satellite AI, advanced autonomous life support systems for human exploration are only few of the domains which could be dramatically boosted by the availability of this technology. The paper discusses an early study about an experimentation of a quantum computer in orbit as a first step for a future fully qualified flight-ready payload. It discusses the major benefits of a flight experimentation, focusing on the one hand on the objectives and the expected benefits that it will bring to the development of the space borne and on-ground technology, on the other hand on the open questions like the effect of microgravity on the architecture of this technology. It analyses the currently available implementation solutions of quantum computers on ground which are currently prototyped (e.g. IBM Q System One), and provides early results on the identified main technical aspects to be considered to improve the technology readiness level. It highlights the most important challenges to be considered in the design and the added value that the space environment will bring as scientific feedback. Finally, it describes possible scenarios and mission profiles analysed and identified as potential hosting platform candidates, focusing on pros and cons of each of them.Wind EnergyComputer EngineeringFTQC/Bertels Lab(OLD)Quantum Computer Architecture
Aristotele, Costituzione degli Spartani - Frammenti
No full text2013 - 2014Il presente lavoro consiste in una ricostituzione del corpus dei frammenti attribuibili alla
Costituzione degli Spartani di Aristotele con traduzione e commento esegetico, storico e
storiografico. Rientrano nel corpus sia i frammenti di tradizione indiretta sia l’estratto di
Eraclide Lembo, erudito alessandrino del II secolo a.C, che realizzò un lavoro di epitome
delle Politeiai aristoteliche, con ogni probabilità a noi giunto ulteriormente compendiato da
un anonimo excerptor. Essendo stata provata e comunemente accettata la sostanziale
fedeltà degli estratti eraclidei all’originale aristotelico, per quanto concerne la presenza di
argomenti e la successione delle notizie, l’estratto spartano è utilizzato, quando presente,
come elemento di supporto, per il lavoro di ricostituzione del corpus nel riconoscimento e
nella numerazione dei frammenti. Punto di riferimento sono state le precedenti edizioni dei
frammenti aristotelici di tradizione indiretta, realizzate da V. Rose e da O. Gigon, che, dopo
i Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum (FHG) di C. Muller. Nel presente lavoro sono stati
riconosciuti come frammenti sia testi che presentano citazione esplicita, insieme, di
Aristotele e dell’opera, del solo Aristotele o della sola opera sia testi in cui è presente
soltanto una forte similarità di contenuto8
con altri che si possono riportare all’opuscolo
aristotelico. Alcuni elementi, emersi nel corso del lavoro, hanno indotto a procedere ad una
nuova numerazione dei frammenti rispetto a quelle proposte da Rose e poi da Gigon.
Le traduzioni sono state realizzate, cercando di rispettare, quanto più possibile, il testo
greco, sia a livello lessicale che sintattico. Questo per evitare che distorsioni del lessico e
della struttura della fonte citante potessero impedire di cogliere eventuali distorsioni da
questa operate sul testo aristotelico tràdito.
Il commento ha affrontato problemi testuali ove necessario, più frequentemente aspetti
storici, storiografici, e, in alcuni casi, filologici; si è cercato innanzitutto di rendere ragione
delle scelte operate, per quanto concerne l’attribuzione dei frammenti, la loro delimitazione
all’interno della fonte tralatrice e la numerazione a questi attribuita. Si è proposto inoltre,
per alcuni testi, il riconoscimento come frammenti dubbi, potenzialmente attribuibili
all’opuscolo aristotelico. Si tratta di testi non riconosciuti dalle precedenti edizioni,
individuati graficamente dal punto interrogativo.
I testi paralleli, cioè quei testi che riportano un contenuto simile a quello dei testi già
riconosciuti di provenienza aristotelica ma che non presentano citazione esplicita né di
Aristotele né dell’opera, sono individuati graficamente con un asterisco. [a cura dell'Autore]This work consists in a reconstitution of the corpus of fragments ascribable to the Constitution of the Spartans by Aristotle through the translation and the exegetical, historical and historiographical commentary.
Within the corpus of both the fragments preserved by the indirect tradition and the extract of Heraclides Lembo, the Alexandrian scholar of the second century B.C., who created an epitome of the Aristotelean Politeiai, which, in all likelihood, came to us in a further epitomized form by an anonymous excerptor. Since the substantial fidelity of the original extracts from Heracleides to the original version by Aristotle has been proved and accepted. For what concerns the presence of topics and the succession of the information, the Spartan extract is used, when possible, as a support element for the reconstitution work of the corpus in the recognition and numbering of fragments. The points of reference were the previous editions of Aristotle's fragments of indirect tradition made by V. Rose and O. Gigon and the Historicorum Fragmenta Graecorum (FHG) of C. Muller. In this work have been recognized as fragments both texts with explicit quotations from Aristotle or from the discussed work by Aristotle, and texts, in which there is just a strong similarity with others which can be connected with the Aristotelian pamphlet. Some information which emerged from the work led to proceed with a new and different numbering of the fragments compared with the one proposed by Rose and then by Gigon.
The translations were made trying to respect as much as possible the Greek text both from the lexical and the syntactical point of view. This was to prevent distortions of the vocabulary and of the structure of the citing source, which could made difficult to detect distortions operated from the translation on the traditionalized text by Aristotle.
The comments faced textual problems, where necessary, more frequently historical, historiographical, and, in some cases, philological issues; it was first tried to give an account of the choices regarding the allocation of the fragments, their boundaries within the texte- source and the numbering which has been attributed to them. For some texts it has also been proposed the recognition of doubtful fragments, potentially attributable to the Aristotelian
pamphlet. These texts are not recognized by previous editions and graphically identified by the question mark.
The parallel texts, i.e. the texts that report a content similar to that of the already recognized texts as Aristotelian, do not show explicit mention either of Aristotle or his work and they are graphically identified with an asterisk. [edited by Author]XIII n.s
Survey on small ruminant bacterial mastitis in Italy, 2013–2014
No full textAbstractMastitis is the most important disease of dairy small ruminants affecting animal welfare, agricultural economy, and food safety. Only a few investigations on the bacterial epidemiology of udder infections have been performed. Aim of the study was to describe the Italian epidemiology of bacterial mastitis in small ruminant dairy herds. An ad hoc electronic data collection module was created by the National Reference Center for Sheep and Goat Mastitis (C.Re.N.M.O.C). Public health veterinary laboratories of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institutes (EE.ZZ.II) (n=10) were selected. Nine (90.0%) EE.ZZ.II. participated to the survey and 8 (87.5%) provided a full report. Bacteriological culture results from 30,232 sheep and goat milk samples collected in 1,795 herds between 2013 and 2014 were analyzed. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) were the most frequently isolated bacteria in dairy sheep and goats, followed by Staphylococcus aureus; other bacterial species were Pseudomonas spp., Streptococcus uberis, Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus spp., Streptococcus spp. and Coryneiforms. Italian results confirm previous findings described in other countries; CNS are the most prevalent bacteria, probably due to subclinical symptoms, whereas Staphyloccocus aureus is the most prevalent clinical mastitis etiological agent. The present survey, based on the first, Italian standardized data electronic collection focused on small ruminant mastitis, may represent the backbone for future control and preventive strategies nationwide
Effects of functional training and 2 interdisciplinary interventions on maximal oxygen uptake and weight loss of women with obesity: a randomized clinical trial
No full textOur aim was to analyze and compare functional training, interdisciplinary therapy, and interdisciplinary education on cardiorespiratory fitness (CF) and anthropometric characteristics of women with obesity. Forty-four women (age = 39.7 ± 5.9 years, body mass index (BMI) = 35.5 ± 2.8 kg/m2) completed 30 weeks of intervention randomly assigned to 3 groups: functional training (FT) (n = 14), interdisciplinary therapy (IT) (n = 19), and interdisciplinary education (IE) (n = 11). The FT group participated in the training program (3/week), the IT group received the same training intervention plus nutrition (1/week) and psychology advice (1/week) and physical therapy (1/week). The IE group participated in interdisciplinary lectures on topics related to health promotion (1/month). CF (ergospirometry), anthropometry, and body composition (electrical bioimpedance) were measured pre-intervention (Pre) and post-intervention (Post). CF increased (p ≤ 0.05) significantly (Pre vs. Post) in the FT (7.5%) and IT (10.8%) groups, but not in the IE group (1.8%). Body mass (BM), BMI, relative fat mass, and waist circumference significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased (Pre vs. Post) in IT (−4.4%, −4.4%, −2.3%, and −5.1%, respectively). The IE group showed a significant decrease in BM (−3.7%), BMI (−3.7%), and waist circumference (−3.5%), whereas the FT group promoted significant decrease in waist circumference (−3.4%). In conclusion, functional training increased CF but only interdisciplinary interventions improved the anthropometric profile of women with obesity.
Novelty
Interdisciplinary therapy provided more comprehensive adaptations in women with obesity, including morphological variables and CF.
Functional training increased CF but reduced only abdominal obesity.
Interdisciplinary education provided benefits on morphological variables, but it does not increase CF.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
The sandia fracture challenge: Blind round robin predictions of ductile tearing
No full textExisting and emerging methods in computational mechanics are rarely validated against problems with an unknown outcome. For this reason, Sandia National Laboratories, in partnership with US National Science Foundation and Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, launched a computational challenge in mid-summer, 2012. Researchers and engineers were invited to predict crack initiation and propagation in a simple but novel geometry fabricated from a common off-the-shelf commercial engineering alloy. The goal of this international Sandia Fracture Challenge was to benchmark the capabilities for the prediction of deformation and damage evolution associated with ductile tearing in structural metals, including physics models, computational methods, and numerical implementations currently available in the computational fracture community. Thirteen teams participated, reporting blind predictions for the outcome of the Challenge. The simulations and experiments were performed independently and kept confidential. The methods for fracture prediction taken by the thirteen teams ranged from very simple engineering calculations to complicated multiscale simulations. The wide variation in modeling results showed a striking lack of consistency across research groups in addressing problems of ductile fracture. While some methods were more successful than others, it is clear that the problem of ductile fracture prediction continues to be challenging. Specific areas of deficiency have been identified through this effort. Also, the effort has underscored the need for additional blind prediction-based assessments. © 2014 The Author(s)
Left cardiac sympathetic denervation in the management of high-risk patients affected by the long-QT syndrome
No full textBackground - The management of long-QT syndrome (LQTS) patients who continue to have cardiac events (CEs) despite beta-blockers is complex. We assessed the long-term efficacy of left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) in a group of high-risk patients. Methods and Results - We identified 147 LQTS patients who underwent LCSD. Their QT interval was very prolonged (QTc, 543 +/- 65 ms); 99% were symptomatic; 48% had a cardiac arrest; and 75% of those treated with beta-blockers remained symptomatic. The average follow-up periods between first CE and LCSD and post-LCSD were 4.6 and 7.8 years, respectively. After LCSD, 46% remained asymptomatic. Syncope occurred in 31%, aborted cardiac arrest in 16%, and sudden death in 7%. The mean yearly number of CEs per patient dropped by 91% ( P < 0.001). Among 74 patients with only syncope before LCSD, all types of CEs decreased significantly as in the entire group, and a post-LCSD QTc < 500 ms predicted very low risk. The percentage of patients with > 5 CEs declined from 55% to 8% ( P < 0.001). In 5 patients with preoperative implantable defibrillator and multiple discharges, the post-LCSD count of shocks decreased by 95% ( P = 0.02) from a median number of 25 to 0 per patient. Among 51 genotyped patients, LCSD appeared more effective in LQT1 and LQT3 patients. Conclusions - LCSD is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of aborted cardiac arrest and syncope in high-risk LQTS patients when compared with pre-LCSD events. However, LCSD is not entirely effective in preventing cardiac events including sudden cardiac death during long-term follow-up. LCSD should be considered in patients with recurrent syncope despite &beta;-blockade and in patients who experience arrhythmia storms with an implanted defibrillator.Cardiac & Cardiovascular SystemsPeripheral Vascular DiseaseSCI(E)194ARTICLE151826-183310
Author Correction: Genome-wide association analyses identify new Brugada syndrome risk loci and highlight a new mechanism of sodium channel regulation in disease susceptibility
No full textInternational audienc
