96 research outputs found
Asymptotic behavior of positive solutions of a Dirichlet problem involving supercritical nonlinearities
No full textsummary:Let , , and . We study, for , the behavior of positive solutions of the problem in , . In particular, we give a positive answer to an open question formulated in a recent paper of the first author
Re-Emerging Equality Traditions of Justice in the Cultural Roots of the Egyptian Revolution
No full textFor years, modern Egyptian Islamic thinkers have be
en attempting to define Islamic
ideals of social justice and the way in which they
have been ignored in the post-colonial
period. This paper will discuss and critique the mi
d-20th century works of theorists of
the Muslim Revolution like Abbas Mahmud ‘Aqqad (aut
hor of
al-dymuqratyah fy al-
islam, Democracy in Islam
) and Sayyid Qutb (author of
al-‘adalah al-ijtima‘iyya fy al-
islam, Social Justice in Islam
) in order to shape the discourse about the relevan
ce of
their theories of democracy, justice and equality f
or today’s political movement
`Plural Shar��ah�. A Liberal Interpretation of the Shar��ah Constitutional Clause of the 2014 Egyptian Constitution
No full textThis article addresses the Egyptian Constitution issued in 2014 (dust�r �umh�riyyah mi�r al-�arabiyyah). Article 2 declares that Islam is the religion of the State and that the Shar��ah is the main source of legislation. The aim of the author is to interpret this provision considering the role that the Islamic religion plays in the cultural and legal framework of Arab countries, notably in Egypt. Furthermore, this article tries to develop a pluralistic interpretation of the norm, taking into account some foundational aspects of the Egyptian legal system including the Civil Code of 1948, the particular tradition of Arab Constitutionalism, and the former jurisprudence of the Supreme Constitutional Cour
La sicurezza nell’emergenza: una proposta di lettura attraverso il decreto n. 113 del 2018
No full textIl decreto n. 113 del 2018 è approdato prima al Senato poi alla Camera, non senza critiche da parte della politica, della dottrina e dell’opinione pubblica. Il discusso provvedimento è l’ultimo anello di una lunga catena di interventi normativi, in nome della tutela della sicurezza, che hanno caratterizzato l’ultimo ventennio e che, in particolare, si sono intensificati a seguito dei tragici eventi del 2001
Use of healthcare services at the end of life in decedents compared to their surviving counterparts: A case-control study among adults born before 1946 in Friuli Venezia Giulia
No full textBACKGROUND:There is a heterogeneous literature on healthcare utilization patterns at the end of life. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of closeness to death on the utilization of acute hospital-based healthcare services and some primary healthcare services and compare differences in gender, age groups and major causes of death disease specific mortality. METHODS:A matched case-control study, nested in a cohort of 411,812 subjects, linked to administrative databases was conducted. All subjects were residents in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (Italy), born before 1946, alive in January 2000 and were followed up to December 2014. Overall, 158,571 decedents/cases were matched by gender and year of birth to one control, alive at least one year after their matched case's death (index-date). Hospital admissions, emergency department visits, drug prescriptions, specialist visits and laboratory tests that occurred 365 days before death/index-date, have been evaluated. Odds Ratios (ORs) for healthcare utilization were estimated through conditional regression models, further adjusted for Charlson Comorbidity Index and stratified by gender, age groups and major causes of death. RESULTS:Decedents were significantly more likely of having at least one hospital admission (OR 7.0, 6.9-7.1), emergency department visit (OR 5.2, 5.1-5.3), drug prescription (OR 2.8, 2.7-2.9), specialist visit (OR 1.4, 1.4-1.4) and laboratory test (OR 2.7, 2.6-2.7) than their matched surviving counterparts. The ORs were generally lower in the oldest age group (95+) than in the youngest (55-74). Healthcare utilization did not vary by sex, but was higher in subjects who died of cancer. CONCLUSION:Closeness to death appeared to be strongly associated with healthcare utilization in adult/elderly subjects. The risk seems to be greater among younger age groups than older ones, especially for acute based services. Reducing acute healthcare at the EOL represents an important issue to improve the quality of life in proximity to death
Glycosaminoglycans in the Human Cornea: Age-Related Changes
No full textAim To investigate possible age-related changes in glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the human cornea. The substances today called GAGs were previously referred to as mucopolysaccharides. Methods Samples of human cornea were taken from 12 younger (age 21 ± 1.2) and 12 older (age 72 ± 1.6) male subjects. Samples were weighed, homogenized, and used for biochemical and molecular analyses. All the quantitative results were statistically analyzed. Results The human cornea appears to undergo age-related changes, as evidenced by our biochemical and molecular results. The total GAG and hyaluronic acid counts were significantly higher in the younger subjects than in the older subjects. The sulfated heavy GAGs, such as chondroitin, dermatan, keratan, and heparan sulfate, were lower in the younger subjects than in the older subjects. Discussion GAGs of the human cornea undergo numerous age-related changes. Their quantity is significantly altered in the elderly in comparison with younger subjects. GAGs play an important role in age-related diseases of the human cornea
How are the students doing? The influence of soft skills and school engagement on well-being
No full textopenLe competenze trasversali (soft skills) sono oggetto di un crescente interesse da parte del mondo accademico in quanto rappresentano delle abilità individuali che hanno un impatto in diversi ambiti (dal lavoro alla scuola). In letteratura sono presenti diversi modelli teorici di concettualizzazione delle competenze. Il recente modello delle SEB (social, emotional, and behavioral) skills prova a mettere ordine in questa ampia letteratura, e definisce queste competenze come le capacità di gestione delle relazioni interpersonali, regolazione delle emozioni e dei comportamenti. In questo progetto di tesi, il modello viene applicato al contesto scolastico, analizzando le correlazioni tra le SEB skills e un costrutto multidimensionale centrale nel processo di studio, lo student engagement (coinvolgimento scolastico). Inoltre, viene analizzato come queste due variabili influenzano il benessere e il rendimento degli studenti. Il campione è costituito da studenti del primo e del secondo anno di un Liceo di Catania.Across the academic field, there has been growing interest in soft skills, individual abilities suggested to promote positive outcomes for work and school. The scientific literature is rich with a variety of theoretical models for conceptualizing these skills. The recent model of SEB (social, emotional, and behavioral) skills seeks to organize this extensive literature by defining skills as a person’s capacities to maintain social relationships, regulate emotions and behaviors. In this thesis project, the SEB model is applied to the school context by analyzing the correlations between SEB skills and a multidimensional construct which is central to the study process, that is, student engagement. Additionally, it is analyzed how these two variables influence the well-being and academic achievement of students. The sample consists of first and second year-highschool students attending a secondary school in Catania
Dispositivo robotico ad architettura parallela
No full textDispositivo robotico ad architettura parallela, comprendente un telaio (11) e un organo terminale di lavorazione (15) montato su un supporto mobile (12), in particolare una piattaforma mobile, detto supporto mobile (12) essendo collegato a detto telaio (12) tramite una pluralità di cavità di attuazione (14), in particolare quattro cavi di attuazione, in modo tale da muoversi secondo due gradi di libertà in uno spazio di movimentazione piano rettangolare (17), detto dispositivo robotico (10) comprendendo una pluralità di attuatori (13) per movimentare rispettivi cavi di attuazione (14), detti attuatori (13) essendo in numero superiore a detti gradi di libertà dell’organo terminale, ciascun cavo di attuazione (14) accoppiando una rispettiva porzione di detto telaio (11) e una rispettiva porzione di detto supporto mobile (12) secondo un percorso ad anello (li) o loop fra almeno due punti di ancoraggio (Ai) prossimali associati a detta porzione del telaio (11) e due punti di ancoraggio (Bi) distali associati a detta rispettiva porzione del supporto (11), in cui detto dispositivo robotico (10) comprende per ciascun anello (li) un gruppo di rinvio prossimale (25) posizionato sul telaio (11) a valle di ciascun attuatore (13) rispetto al percorso del cavo (14) e un gruppo di rinvio distale (26) posizionato sul supporto mobile (12) dell’organo terminale, ciascuno di detti gruppo di rinvio prossimale (25) e gruppo di rinvio distale (26) comprendendo, in corrispondenza dei rispettivi punti di ancoraggio ((Ai, Bi) pulegge snodate (23, 24), comprendenti un primo asse di rotazione (23a) della puleggia, in particolare di un suo disco girevole (231) parallelo al piano di movimentazione (17) e un secondo asse di rotazione (23b), intorno al quale ruotare detto primo asse di rotazione (23a), perpendicolare al piano di movimentazione (17), il cui punto di uscita del cavo di attuazione (14) individua il rispettivo punto di ancoraggio (Ai, Bi), detto gruppo di rinvio prossimale (25) essendo associato a un sensore (30) configurato per misurare la tensione del rispettivo cavo di attuazione (14)
Socioeconomic factors influencing childhood vaccination in two northern Italian regions
No full textBACKGROUND:
Infant vaccination rates have been declining in Italy over the past 5-7years. The aims of this study were to assess the trend in the proportions of children unvaccinated at 24months old, to identify sociodemographic factors associated with non-vaccination; and to examine changes in parental attitudes to vaccination over time.
METHODS:
We conducted a population-based birth cohort study by combining existing electronic data sets. The study population consisted of children born from 1995 to 2010 in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia (FVG) region, and from 2007 to 2011 in part of the Emilia Romagna (ER) region, in north-eastern Italy. The immunization registers were linked with the medical birth registers, which contain sociodemographic data on both parents and the newborn. Unconditional logistic regressions were used to identify associations between vaccine uptake at 24months and maternal sociodemographic variables.
RESULTS:
Of 145,571 babies born in FVG and 75,308 in ER, there were 4222 (1.9%) who had not been vaccinated at all, and 23,948 (11.0%) without the optional measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination. The number of unvaccinated infants increased over time. Mothers who were over 35 or under 25years old, unmarried, with a higher formal education, and citizens of highly-developed countries were less compliant with vaccination recommendations in both the regions. A cohort effect was observed in FVG, for both educational level and citizenship: babies born between 1995 and 2000 to mothers without an Italian citizenship and with a lower formal education were more likely to refuse vaccination for their offspring, while this association was reversed between 2006 and 2010.
CONCLUSIONS:
Mothers who are Italian citizens and have a good formal education have begun to refuse vaccination for their children in recent years. Future public health action in this setting should target highly educated parents
Different pathological response and histological features following neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemo-immunotherapy in resected non-small cell lung cancer
No full textIntroduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality worldwide. Neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy has led to clinical benefits in resectable NSCLC in comparison to chemo-therapy alone. Major pathological response (MPR) and pathological complete response (pCR) have been used as surrogates of neoadjuvant therapy response and clinical outcomes. However, the factors affecting the pathological response are still controversial. Therefore, in this study we retrospectively examined MPR and pCR in two different cohorts of NSCLC patients, 14 treated by chemotherapy and 12 by chemo-immunotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting. Methods: In resected tumor specimens, different histological characteristics were evaluated: necrosis, fibrosis, inflammation, presence of organizing pneumonia, granuloma, cholesterol cleft, and reactive epithelial alterations. In addition, we evaluated how MPR impacts on event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). In a small group of patients treated by chemo-immunotherapy, a gene expression analysis of the Hippo pathway was performed both in preoperative biopsies and matched post-surgical specimens. Results: We observed a better pathological response in the chemo-immunotherapy treated cohort: 6/12 patients (50.0%) achieved a MPR ≤10% and 1/12 (8.3%) achieved pCR both on primary tumor and on lymph nodes. On the contrary, no patient treated with chemotherapy alone achieved pCR or MPR ≤10%. A higher amount of stroma in the neoplastic bed was observed in patients treated with immuno-chemotherapy. Moreover, patients achieving better MPR (including pCR) had significantly improved overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS). After neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy, residual tumors showed a remarkable upregulation of genes consistent with the activation of YAP/TAZ. Also, alternative checkpoint, such as CTLA-4, were enhanced. Discussion: Our findings showed that neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy treatment improves MPR and pCR thus resulting in better EFS and OS. Moreover, a combined treatment could induce different morphological and molecular changes in comparison to chemotherapy alone, thus giving new insights in the assessment of pathological response
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