131,696 research outputs found
Cyber pornography use and masturbation outburst. Considerations on 150 italian patients complaining erectile dysfunction and trying to solve it
No full textObjective: We aimed to verify the rate of masturbation (Mst) in a group of 150 Italian patients complaining Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Materials and methods: Our diagnostic protocol for penile and sexual problems included the collection of the patient's history, general and local clinical examination, and metabolic and hormonal analyses. Selected patients were also submitted to nocturnal penile tumescence test (Rigiscan), Duplex ultrasound of the penis, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, neurological tests and cardiological examination. A group of 150 Italian males (aged between 20 and 86 years) who complained ED and who presented to our Andrological Center to research the possibility of correcting their ED and being able to recover adequate sexual erectile activity were included in this study. In this group of patients suffering from ED we decided to evaluate the practice of Mst by asking specific questions: 1. Do you sometimes practice Mst? 2. How often in a week? 3. Is Mst hidden or known by the partner? 4. What do you use as a masturbatory sexual stimulus? The frequency of Mst was assessed according to a Likert scale as follow: a: No Mst; b:1-2/week; c: 2-3/week; d: > 3/week; e: daily or more. We also asked if it was possible to have penetrative marital intercourse on the same day as Mst (1-10 hours). We also asked what they used as a triggering sexual stimulus: press magazines, TV movies, the WEB. Results: Only 5/150 patients did not report Mst while 27/145 pts (aged 20-30 years) reported it more than 3 times a week; 44/145 (aged 31-50 years) 1-3 times a week and 27/145 (51-86 years) 1-2 times a week. Almost all patients used WebPorn as a stimulus for Mst. A group of patients over the age of 50 said they were quite satisfied with the physical results of Mst even though they would prefer to have sex as part of a couple relationship. Conclusions: The outburst of Mst in this web-dominated era could affect the sexual activity of individual males and couples
Preputial circumcision performed with a new mechanical stapling tool. The "langhe disposable circumcision suture device". Preliminary experiences
Get PDFThe Authors present their preliminary clinical experiences in performing preputial circumcision utilizing a new stapling tool
An analytical formulation of q-factor for mid-rise CLT buildings based on parametric numerical analyses
No full textThe seismic response of cross-laminated timber buildings is analysed with the aim of assessing the correlation between the dissipative capacity (i.e., q-factor) and the assembling methodologies and geometrical properties. A parametric study was performed by means of incremental dynamic analyses on various building configurations with varying constructive features such as density of panel-to-panel joints and building slenderness. The results are firstly used to define parameters representative of the building geometry and assembling methodology and then to develop an analytical relationship to compute their most suitable q-factor starting from such parameters. The proposed method is finally validated referring to significant case studies available in literature
Seismic design of floor–wall joints of multi-storey CLT buildings to comply with regularity in elevation
No full textThe effects of irregularity in elevation of cross-laminated timber buildings have not been fully analysed in literature to provide useful information for the design. In this work, a number of building configurations, regular or irregular in elevation, characterized by a different arrangement per storey of the floor–wall joints have been analysed by means of non-linear dynamic analyses. Comparative results in terms of ratio between the behaviour q-factor of the investigated irregular configurations and that of reference regular ones, show that less dissipative capacity can be expected if the building is irregular due to a disequilibrium among storeys between the actual and the required strength provided by the floor–wall joints. A correlation method to estimate the behaviour q-factor for perfectly regular cross-laminated timber buildings is here presented and extended to in-elevation irregular ones. A new empirical formulation to assess the reliable corrective factor accounting for the irregularity in elevation of cross-laminated timber buildings, according to Eurocode 8 provisions, is also proposed. A final discussion about the implications of in elevation irregularity on the building design is reported
Penile prosthesis and complications: Results from 577 implants
No full textObjective: Penile Prosthetic Surgery is already well characterized but the problems connected with possible complications still need to be evaluated and discussed.Material and Methods: The Authors revaluated their experience in Penile Prosthetic Surgery involving 577 patients (18 - 86 years, mean age 513 years) operated by the same surgeon since 1984. We implanted 199 silicone-semirigid (Small Carrion, Implantal, Eurogest, Subrini, SSDA GS), 200 malleable (Jonas, Omniphase, Duraphase, AMS600, MentorColoplast Genesis, Vedise) and 178 inflatable (Mentor: Mark II, Alpha I, Titan OTR; AMS: mono-component Hydroftex, Dynaflex; bi-component Ambicor; multi-component: 700 Ultrex, 700 CX, 700 LGX) prostheses. Operative, postoperative, infectious and malfunctioning complications have been recorded. A total of 156 patients drop out at follow-up and we may not exclude possible late complications treated at different hospitals.Results: The recorded complications and the therapeutic modalities utilized to treat them are examined. Operative complications were recorded in 2 malleable prostheses (MPP) and in one inflatable prosthesis (IPP). Postoperative complications have been recorded in three cases of MPP (1.5%) and in 9 IPP (5.0%) and were strictly connected to general medical comorbidities as diabetes mellitus (DM), coronary artery dysfunction (CAD), and Peyronie's disease (PD). In three cases of IPP implantation, hematomas were related to the blunt surgical maneuvers utilized to insert the reservoir or the scrotal pumps. Infectious complications were mostly observed in patients with DM: 4 patients with MPP (1.0%) and 15 patients with IPP (8.4%). Malfunction rate of the prostheses in our series was really disappointing considering that 13/17 cases (77%) of mono-component IPP broke while in patients with multicomponent IPP the percentage of malfunction has been of 13/161 (8%) and malfunction was observed in only one case of MPP. We were forced to explant the prostheses in 2 patients with MPP (0.5%) and 40 with IPP (22%). However, after excluding 17 mono-component IPPs, the percentage of explants of multicomponent IPP (23 patients, 4.2%) is in line with other significative experiences.Conclusion: The number of complications of PPS are similar to those reported by well qualified urological institutions. In our experience a scrupulous antibiotic therapeutic schedule, avoiding direct contact between the prostheses and the patient's skin, reduced time of surgery with surgeon's experience positively influenced the results. In a limited number of patients medical treatment or minimal surgical acts allowed to solve the complications preserving the prostheses and avoiding the prosthetic explant
A study about optimal stiffening of timber floors in URM buildings
No full textTimber floors in traditional masonry buildings normally have limited in-plane stiffness, which may be not
sufficient to avoid out-of-plane failure of walls or to transmit efficiently seismic forces among walls. Therefore,
various stiffening techniques of timber floors have been developed with the aim of improving the global behaviour
of the building. The evaluation of the efficiency of the stiffening intervention needs adequate numerical modelling
strategy, taking into account the nonlinear in-plane behaviour of masonry piers and spandrels, the out-of-plane
stiffness and strength of walls, the actual stiffness and hysteretic behaviour of timber floors. The macro-element
modelling can be considered an intermediate strategy in terms of model complexity, as it requires experimental
data for its calibration, but can be quite easily adapted to the building geometry. Nonlinear incremental dynamic
analyses of different case-study buildings are presented, varying the type of floor, the seismic signal and the
modelling criteria as the complexity and accuracy of the adopted technique, with the aim of analysing the effects
of the stiffening techniques on the building response. The comparative analyses show that the seismic capacity of
a traditional masonry building may decrease if a retrofitting method leading to excessive floor stiffening and/or
mass increase is adopted, depending on the geometry and mechanical characteristics of walls and floors. This
means that the need of increasing the in-plane stiffness of floors should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis,
comparing the actual capacities of floors and walls
Earnings management through R&D costs capitalization
No full textThe paper shows that R&D cost capitalization is subject to earnings management policies by Italian listed companies
Earnings management in family firms: evidence from R&D cost capitalization in Italy
No full textRecent accounting-related scandals have underscored the prevalence of earnings management in financial markets. This article provides empirical evidence on the motivations for earnings management in publicly listed family companies, highlighting the differences from public nonfamily firms. Basing our predictions on an analysis of the salient characteristics of family firms in both an agency and a stewardship framework,
we hypothesize that family firms are less sensitive to income-smoothing motivations than are nonfamily firms, while they are similarly motivated to manage earnings for debtcovenant and leverage-related reasons. We test our hypotheses by looking at a specific accrual, R&D cost capitalization, where statistical tests confirm our hypothesized relationships
Early maladaptive schemas as common and specific predictors of skin picking subtypes
Get PDFBackground
Three distinct subtypes of Skin Picking (SP) have been identified in previous research: Focused, Automatic and Mixed. Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS) were not investigated across the subtypes. Understanding which EMS are associated with the subtypes might suggest the evaluation of Schema Therapy for SP and guide clinicians using it according to subtypes. The current study explored the relationship between EMS and SP subtypes in community adults.
Methods
Five hundred ninety-six adults [mean age = 35.23 years, 66% females] self-reporting SP behaviours completed the Milwaukee Inventory for Dimensions of Adult Skin Picking and the Young Schema Questionnaire-Long form third version (YSQ-L3).
Results
Higher Dependence/Incompetence EMS was a common predictor of both Focused and Automatic subtypes, while lower Emotional Deprivation EMS and younger age predicted all three subtypes. Higher Approval/Recognition Seeking, Mistrust/Abuse and Failure to Achieve were specific predictors of Automatic, Focused and Mixed subtypes, respectively. Lower Social Isolation/Alienation and Enmeshment/Undeveloped Self were specific predictors of Focused subtype. Male gender was a specific predictor of Mixed subtype.
Conclusions
The assessment and psychological treatment of individuals with SP behaviour may focus on specific EMS. Future longitudinal studies using clinical samples may clarify this association. © 2020 The Author(s)
- …
