322,891 research outputs found
MRI Diagnosis of Obesity-Related Spinal Epidural Lipomatosis
No full textA 61-year-old male presented to our hospital complaining of claudication: bilateral leg weakness impeding mobility. Symptoms started after 100 m of walk and recede after several minutes of rest. The patient was obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 41 kg/m2 and reported a weight gain of about 55 pounds in the last year. Patient's comorbidities were dyslipidemia, hypertension, and antithrombin III deficiency. The patient also suffered from chronic low-back pain recently worsened and cervical pain. Pulses in the lower limbs were present. Neurological examination was also unremarkabl
Dumbbell-shaped hypoglossal neurinoma: surgical removal via a dorsolateral transcondylar approach. A case report and review of the literature
No full textA case of dumbbell-shaped hypoglossal neurinoma with intra- and extracranial extension is reported. The tumour was surgically completely removed in a one-stage operation via a dorsolateral sub-occipital transcondylar approach. Clinical presentation and the role of high-resolution CT-scan, MRI and angio-MRI in diagnosis and surgical planning are discussed. We include a review of the literature concerning these rare tumours of the foramen magnum region
Conservative treatment of a traumatic direct low-flow carotid-cavernous sinus fistula: a case report
No full textA case of a 17-year-old boy presenting with a traumatic carotid-cavernous sinus fistula (CCSF), associated with an intracavernous pseudo-aneurysm, is reported. On angiography, the CCSF proved to be a direct and low-flow shunt. Conservative management was chosen and definitive closure of the fistula was obtained in two months by daily self-compression of the common carotid artery
The Noether Symmetry Approach: Foundation and Applications: The Case of Scalar-Tensor Gauss–Bonnet Gravity
No full textWe sketch the main features of the Noether Symmetry Approach, a method to reduce and solve dynamics of physical systems by selecting Noether symmetries, which correspond to conserved quantities. Specifically, we take into account the vanishing Lie derivative condition for general canonical Lagrangians to select symmetries. Furthermore, we extend the prescription to the first prolongation of the Noether vector. It is possible to show that the latter application provides a general constraint on the infinitesimal generator xi, related to the spacetime translations. This approach can be used for several applications. In the second part of the work, we consider a gravity theory, including the coupling between a scalar field phi and the Gauss-Bonnet topological term G. In particular, we study a gravitational action containing the function F(G,phi) and select viable models by the existence of symmetries. Finally, we evaluate the selected models in a spatially flat cosmological background and use symmetries to find exact solutions
Radiological and surgical aspects of pure spinal epidural cavernous angiomas. Report on 5 cases and review of the literature
No full textBACKGROUND: Cavernous angiomas (CAs) that are localized completely in the spinal epidural space are uncommon vascular malformations. Although they have increasingly been reported in the literature in recent years, diagnostic and surgical features are not clearly defined. METHODS: We report five patients with pure spinal epidural cavernous angiomas (PSECAs) and review the literature, focusing on their radiologic and surgical characteristics. We also compare these tumors with other extra-axial CAs as well as with their intra-axial counterparts. RESULTS: PSECAs, like all other extra-axial CAs, differ from intra-axial ones on MRI: the hemorrhagic variant is less frequent, hemosiderin rim is rare, the signal is different, and contrast enhancement is the rule. They are very similar to spinal meningiomas but they differ in their growth pattern and morphology, since they infiltrate intervertebral foramina and have an oval shape. In PSECA, intraoperative bleeding is rarely profuse, in contrast to other extra-axial CAs, especially those of the cavernous sinus. CONCLUSIONS: On MRI, PSECAs and other extra-axial CAs constitute a homogeneous group since they enhance significantly. At operation, since there is rarely enough bleeding to limit removal, radical excision of PSECAs can be achieved with good results
UNVEILING THE CHALLENGES OF PARTICIPATORY PLANNING IN TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT. THE CASE STUDY OF FOGGIAWELCOME PROJECT
No full textThe paper examines the participatory planning as a territorial governance approach that involves stakeholders – socio-economic actors with different roles and capacities – in the decision-making process and its impact on shaping ideas for the development and enhancement of a territorial area. In particular, the aim of this study is to highlight the potential impact of stakeholders’ participation in decision-making processes, emphasising their role in shaping the development trajectory and the appreciation of a territory.
To this end, the paper focuses on the case study of FoggiaWelcome, a platform for the promotion and enhancement of the territory of Capitanata (Foggia), delving into the intricate web of relationships, networks, and top-down/bottom-up dynamics that shape it.
Coherently with the participatory approach, the paper explores the dynamics of bottom-up participation and delves into the multifaceted aspects of stakeholder and community involvement, examining how local actors contribute to the decision-making process, fostering a sense of ownership and shared responsibility for the development of their region. In this way, this study aims to analyse Foggia Welcome from a holistic perspective, unravelling the interconnections and synergies that emerge organically from the local level, emerging as an illuminating example providing insights into the interplay of diverse stakeholders, collaborative networks, and community-driven initiatives in redefining the narrative of regional development.
Results emphasize the potential for bottom-up participation to promote innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability in regional development initiatives, providing insight into the dynamics that shape the development narrative, going beyond the traditional bottom-up approach.
The case study is currently being evaluated with a focus on its initial steps. It is hypothesized that it may develop into a more comprehensive platform aligned with the project’s objectives. The discussion emphasizes the platform’s early stage and hints at a forthcoming evolution. The study acknowledges its limitations in assessing a nascent project and foresees potential advancement towards a more developed form. The evaluation considers the platform’s potential for growth and its alignment with the project’s overall goals
ICT-driven Innovation in a Sample of European Museums: Mapping the Positioning Through Site-Centered, Site-Uncentered and Border Technologies
No full textThis paper aims to investigate the central role of Innovation and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the European cultural touristic sector. To this aim, the research group proposes a theoretical framework to provide a description and interpretation of use of ICT in a sample of European Museums of the leading capitals, as follow - Paris, Barcelona, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, Stockholm, Lisbon and Helsinki. More specifically, it was conducted quali-quantitative empirical research on the sample, as a second step of a longitudinal analysis developed by the research group, aiming to broaden the previous representation. It was developed an updated theoretical framework structured on 41 variables classified according to visit phases (pre, post and during the visit) and to the provision mechanisms of the technology (on-site or online). The data was collected on a secondary basis from the museums’ websites.
Subsequently, a cluster analysis based on the technologies adopted by the sample was run to create positioning maps. The results show how a logarithmic transformation of the number of visitors and the previously adoption of on-site technologies impact on the willingness to adopt particularly innovative and disruptive technologies from the museums point of view. The positioning maps bring out an important consideration: the Barcelona FC Museum differs
considerably from all other museums of the sample for the adoption of on-site technologies and of highly innovative technologies.
The research also shows that large museums are more likely to adopt online booking systems, while smaller museums tend to prefer adopting fixed technologies that can improve the visiting experience, especially if integrated with their cultural heritage
Characterization of radiation damages on Silicon photomultipliers by X-rays up to 100 kGy
No full textSilicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are highly-sensitive photodetectors emerging as the technology of choice for many applications, including among the others, large high-energy physics experiments and detectors for space instruments, where they are often exposed to a large amount of radiation. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in assessing the performance deterioration of such detectors after ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, such as protons, neutrons and X or gamma rays. It is therefore interesting to characterize the effect of irradiation on such Geiger-mode detectors, differentiating between the ionizing and non-ionizing energy-loss effects. Moreover, it is interesting to compare the radiation damage effects on several types of SiPMs, to assess the main phenomena and the deterioration mechanisms, aiming to a more radiation tolerant SiPM design.
In this work we irradiated several types of SiPM structures, produced in FBK (Trento, Italy), with 40 keV X-rays, at several doses, up to 100 kGy (in silicon), performing both online measurements (after each irradiation step) and offline functional characterization, after one month of room temperature annealing. The SiPMs are made with many different technologies, in particular different layouts, junction polarities, internal structures and starting materials. We studied the variation in the reverse current–voltage curves, distinguishing the effects on multiplied and not-multiplied current components, the primary dark count rate, the correlated noise probabilities and photon detection efficiency. Comparing all the measurement results, knowing the internal structure and the fabrication processes, we were able to extract and distinguish different deterioration mechanisms, also supported by TCAD simulations on the different effects of ionizing radiation inside the microcells
Diffusive author(s), cohesive author: Analysis of S/N (1994)
No full textThis study indicates the ways in which various aspects of the author(s) are brought forth in Dumb type’s performance art, the S/N production. Previous research has suggested a non-hierarchical organization of Dumb type and the absence of a “privileged author” in Dumb type’s collaborative work, S/N. However, the results that I have investigated from member’s interviews on the creative process of S/N along with my analysis of the recorded images of S/N, indicate a different aspect of the author(s). First, S/N was created through, so to speak, the collective ideas of the members of Dumb type. Further, S/N has at least nine quotations from previous performances, installations, and printed writings, besides the work-in-progress technique. Explicating one of the “author functions” as given by Michel Foucault, each text has plural subjects of the author. However, it has been revealed from members’ interviews that Teiji Furuhashi had a decision-making role in selecting the members’ ideas within the performance. Since then, S/N has had plural subjects of creation; however, Furuhashi is one of the subjects of creation along with the “privileged author.” S/N has plural authors (diffusive authors) yet at the same time, it has a “privileged author,” Teiji Furuhashi (cohesive author)
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
- …
