47,240 research outputs found
Teratology of valproic acid: An updated review of the possible mediating mechanisms
No full textValproic acid (VPA) is an anti-epileptic drug (AED) which is currently being investigated for its potential application in the treatment of several types of cancers, including solid and non-solid tumor. It is well-known that prenatal exposure to VPA largely increases the risk for malformations and other developmental disorders. This review concentrates on clinical and experimental data on congenital anomalies attributed to maternal VPA exposure. Particular emphasis is placed on the potential mechanisms underlying VPA-induced malformations. Although several mechanisms have been suggested, there appears to be no data in the literature in support of a single definitive mechanism for VPA-exposure-related fetal malformations
Effects of supplementation with natural antioxidants on oocytes and preimplantation embryos
No full textFor most infertile couples, in vitro fertilization (IVF) represents the only chance to conceive. Given the limited success of IVF procedures, novel approaches are continuously tested with the aim of improving IVF outcomes. Growing attention is devoted today to the potential benefit of natural antioxidants in the optimization of infertility treatments. This review summarizes current data in this context, focusing on both experimental studies on oocytes/embryos and clinical trials on antioxidants supplementation. Based on information gained from experimental studies, antioxidant supplementation may have beneficial effects on IVF outcomes in terms of quality and cryotolerance of in vitro produced embryos, together with positive effects on in vitro maturation oocytes and on early embryonic development. Unfortunately, from the clinical side, there is a paucity of evidence favoring the protective qualities of antioxidants. Among the antioxidants considered, coenzyme Q10 may be regarded as one of the most promising for its positive role in rescuing the oxidative stress-induced damages, but further data are needed. It is concluded that further trials are necessary to characterize the potential clinical value of antioxidants in IVF treatments
Developmental neurotoxicity and anticonvulsant drugs: A possible link
No full textIn utero exposure to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may affect neurodevelopment causing postnatal cognitive and behavioral alterations. Phenytoin and phenobarbital may lead to motor and learning dysfunctions in the pre-exposed children. These disorders may reflect the interference of these AEDs with the development of hippocampal and cerebellar neurons, as suggested by animal studies. Exposure to valproic acid may result in inhibition of neural stem cell proliferation and/or immature neuron migration in the cerebral cortex with consequent increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairment, such as autistic spectrum disorders. A central issue in the prevention of AED-mediated developmental effects is the identification of drugs that should be avoided in women of child-bearing potential and during pregnancy. The aim of this review is to explore the possible link between AEDs and neurodevelopmental dysfunctions both in human and in animal studies. The possible mechanisms underlying this association are also discussed. © 2014 Elsevier Inc
Beyond the street: An urban regeneration project for the Porta Milano district in Brescia
No full textThe Municipality of Brescia (Italy) is developing an urban regeneration project, co-financed by the National government and with an overall budget of 47 million euros, called “Oltre la Strada (Beyond the Street)”, that interests the area of Porta Milano.
This paper explains how the project was built, starting from the Strategic Urban Plan (PGT) of Brescia and then focusing on the urban design, aimed at redeveloping via Milano as a district and not just as a traffic artery. A focus on the infrastructural and sustainable mobility solutions developed within the Oltre la Strada project, which are mostly linked to the “Living and Walking in Cities” conference theme, is also provided
Comparison of signal processing techniques for condition monitoring based on artificial neural networks
No full textThe paper presents the results of a study aimed to compare different signal processing techniques for the condition monitoring of a mechanical system for indexing motion. Artificial feed-forward neural networks (ANN) are used as classifiers. The mechanical system can work in different conditions (variable loads and velocities, lubricant oil with different viscosity) and the ANN identifies the working condition. The monitored variable is the acceleration signal of the rotating table, opportunely pre-processed. The signal processing techniques compared are: Power Spectral Density (PSD), Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Wavelet, Amplitude Probability Density Function (PDF), Higher Order Spectra (HOS)
Active mobility in historical centres: towards an accessible and competitive city
No full textThe state of abandonment which historical districts have experienced from the second post-war period is rooted in the inadequacy of urban services, the lower level of accessibility, the lack of green urban areas and the shift of economic activities in the suburbs. Urban regeneration, since the mid-1990s, has been promoted to enhance and improve these areas by considering their vocations and opportunities. It has the aim to protect and renew existing heritage, as well as intervene in multiple dimensions of urban systems. Given this multidimensional nature, we considered walkability as a driver of the quality and attractiveness of urban areas. Throughout the redevelopment of pedestrian paths, it is possible to enhance the connectivity among houses, services, public facilities and green spaces, valuing built heritage and promoting active and sustainable mobility, synonymous with wellbeing and social inclusion. Numerous studies demonstrated how active mobility measures improve health conditions, citizens’ and city users’ opportunities, and even safety perception and attractiveness of historic city centers. This study aims to deepen the role of active mobility measures in the definition of accessibility and the redevelopment of historical districts characterized by economic and social marginality, furthermore analyzing the competitive spill-over. To this end, we identified and classified in a matrix active mobility measures, resulting from the study and comparison of the latest strategies and best practices, related to physical, economic, social and functional features of historic districts. Finally, the study proposes the application to a material case, Pizzofalcone, a significant area of the city of Naples, due to the lack of integration with the rest of the historic city center, despite its centrality, and the economic and social marginality despite the historical and architectural value of urban fabric, landscape and cultural heritage
Analysis of the Upper Limitation of the Most Convenient Cadence Range in Cycling Using an Equivalent Moment Based Cost Function
No full textThe article presents the study of the pedalling rates obtained by minimizing a cost function based on a kinetic approach and which can be estimated with more easily achievable experimental data as input than other cost functions. Simulations based on data available in the literature were used to compare the cadences obtained by minimizing well-known joint moment-based cost functions and the proposed cost function. The influence of the power output and of the body mass index on the pedalling rates that minimize the cost function was investigated. Experimental tests performed by four competitive cyclists in the field were used as comparison for the results based on simulations. From simulations emerged that results obtained with the cost function proposed in this work were similar to those based on the absolute average joint moments. We found that the upper limit of the more convenient pedalling rate range decreases linearly with the body mass index, while it increases non-linearly with power output. Furthermore, a polynomial regression of the correlation of the pedalling rate obtained through the method and body mass index and power was found. Experimental results confirmed that the proposed model, finding an approximation of the minimum of muscular effort (not including negative muscular work), is able to estimate the upper limit of an optimal range of cadence. All tested cyclists freely choose to pedal at a cadence under this limit
Non-O blood group and outcomes of in vitro fertilization.
No full textPURPOSE
Retrospective and cross-sectional studies suggested that non-O blood group may be associated with failures of in vitro fertilization (IVF), but data remain controversial. The aim of this observational cohort study was to prospectively evaluate the effect of non-O blood type on clinical outcomes of IVF.
METHODS
Women < 40 years who underwent IVF and had ABO blood type recorded as part of the routine workup were eligible. The primary study outcome was live birth. Secondary outcomes included spontaneous abortion, positive pregnancy test, and clinical pregnancy.
RESULTS
A total of 497 women with a mean age of 34.6 (standard deviation 3.2) years were included. The mean number of embryos transferred was 2.3 (standard deviation 0.6). The most common ABO blood types were O (n = 213, 42.9%) and A (n = 203, 40.8%), while 63 (12.7%) and 18 (3.6%) women had the B and AB blood types, respectively. Differences in live birth (21.8 vs. 24.3%, odds ratio [OR] 1.17; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.76 to 1.78), positive pregnancy test (37.9 vs. 36.6%, OR 0.96; 95% CI, 0.66 to 1.38), clinical pregnancy (35.1 vs. 33.8%, OR 0.95; 95% CI, 0.66 to 1.39), and spontaneous abortion (12.3 vs. 9.2%, OR 0.72; 95% CI, 0.41 to 1.29) between women with O and non-O blood type were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONS
In a prospective cohort study, we confirmed the lack of a significant association between non-O blood type and clinical outcomes of IVF. Further studies are needed to clarify whether non-O blood group has any prognostic relevance in women undergoing IVF
Study of neural-kinematics architectures for model-less calibration of industrial robots
No full textModeless industrial robot calibration plays an impor-tant role in the increasing employment of robots in industry. This approach allows to develop a proce-dure able to compensate the pose errors without complex parametric model. The paper presents a study aimed at comparing neural-kinematic (N-K) architectures for a modeless non-parametric robotic cali-bration. A multilayer perceptron feed-forward neural network, trained in a supervised manner with the back-propagation learning technique, is coupled in different modes with the ideal kinematic model of the robot. A comparative performance analysis of different neural-kinematic architectures was executed on a two degrees of freedom SCARA manipulator, for di-rect and inverse kinematics. Afterward the optimal schemes have been identified and further tested on a three degrees of freedom full SCARA robot and on a Stewart platform. The analysis on simulated data shows that the accuracy of the robot pose can be im-proved by an order of magnitude after compensation
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