Merging and Splitting Diffusion Paths for Semantically Coherent Panoramas

Diffusion models have become the State-of-the-Art for text-to-image generation, and increasing research effort has been dedicated to adapting the inference process of pretrained diffusion models to achieve zero-shot capabilities. An example is the generation of panorama images, which has been tackled in recent works by combining independent diffusion paths over overlapping latent features, which is referred to as joint diffusion, obtaining perceptually aligned panoramas. However, these methods often yield semantically incoherent outputs and trade-off diversity for uniformity. To overcome this limitation, we propose the Merge-Attend-Diffuse operator, which can be plugged into different types of pretrained diffusion models used in a joint diffusion setting to improve the perceptual and semantical coherence of the generated panorama images. Specifically, we merge the diffusion paths, reprogramming self- and cross-attention to operate on the aggregated latent space. Extensive quantitative and qualitative experimental analysis, together with a user study, demonstrate that our method maintains compatibility with the input prompt and visual quality of the generated images while increasing their semantic coherence. We release the code at https://github.com/aimagelab/MAD

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with impaired insulin clearance and hepatic insulin sensitivity in paediatric obesity

Aims: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects up to 40% of children and adolescents with obesity and is linked to hyperinsulinism. However, the mechanisms underpinning this association remain unclear. The study aims to assess the three key determinants of hyperinsulinemia: insulin clearance, secretion, and sensitivity in paediatric patients with OSA. Methods: We enrolled 70 Children with obesity and suspected OSA who performed a nocturnal polygraphy to confirm OSA diagnosis and a 3-hour OGTT to assess glucose homeostasis. Mild OSA was defined for 1 < AHI ≤ 5, moderate-severe OSA as AHI >5. Insulin secretion rate (ISR) was estimated using C-peptide deconvolution. Basal and total insulin clearance during OGTT were calculated. Whole-body insulin sensitivity was evaluated with the Matsuda Index (WBISI), while hepatic insulin resistance index (HIRI) was calculated based on the AUCs of plasma glucose and insulin during the initial 30 minutes of OGTT. Results: A total of 36 children had mild OSA and 34 had moderate-severe OSA. The latter group showed reduced insulin clearance during OGTT (p = 0.008) and higher HIRI (p = 0.03). Basal insulin clearance (p = 0.07), ISR (p = 0.34), beta-cell glucose sensitivity (p = 0.53), and WBISI (p = 0.56) were similar between the two groups. OSA severity negatively correlated with fasting insulin clearance (r = -0.29, p = 0.01) and OGTT insulin clearance (r = -0.32, p = 0.007) and positively correlated with HIRI (r = 0.29, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Moderate-severe OSA in children with obesity is associated with impaired insulin clearance and hepatic insulin sensitivity. These factors may contribute to hyperinsulinism in paediatric OSA

A Green Method for Bacterial Cellulose Electrospinning Using 1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Acetate and γ-Valerolactone

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a highly pure and crystalline cellulose produced via bacterial fermentation. However, due to its chemical structure made of strong hydrogen bonds and its high molecular weight, BC can neither be melted nor dissolved by common solvents. Therefore, processing BC implies the use of very strong, often toxic and dangerous chemicals. In this study, we proved a green method to produce electrospun BC fibers by testing different ionic liquids (ILs), namely, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BmimAc), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (EmimTFSI) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide (EmimDCA), either individually or as binary mixtures. Moreover, γ-valerolactone (GVL) was tested as a co-solvent derived from renewable sources to replace dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), aimed at making the viscosity of the cellulose solutions suitable for electrospinning. A BmimAc and BmimAc/EmimTFSI (1:1 w/w) mixture could dissolve BC up to 3 w%. GVL was successfully applied in combination with BmimAc as an alternative to DMSO. By optimizing the electrospinning parameters, meshes of continuous BC fibers, with average diameters ~0.5 μm, were produced, showing well-defined pore structures and higher water absorption capacity than pristine BC. The results demonstrated that BC could be dissolved and electrospun via a BmimAc/GVL solvent system, obtaining ultrafine fibers with defined morphology, thus suggesting possible greener methods for cellulose processing

Data rule hanging over platform competition: How does the GDPR affect social media market concentration?

Personal Data protection has become a cornerstone for policy in the digital sphere, significantly influencing the market behaviours of leading social media companies. This paper empirically studies the impact of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the social media market concentration in the EU, employing both the synthetic control method and the generalised difference-in-differences method. The findings reveal that the GDPR significantly reduced social media market concentration from 2015 to 2020, with a stronger impact on large companies. However, in the long term, the impact of the GDPR on EU social media market concentration is gradually fading, which has been very weak after 2020. Furthermore, the impact strength of the GDPR on the social media market concentration can be changed by Internet market scales and high technology levels. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of how data protection policies shape the market dynamics of social media companies

Nuove prospettive per il patrimonio edilizio dell'Università di Pisa. Un programma di ricerca e una scelta tipologica

A university as large as the University of Pisa requires a targeted strategy for maintaining, adapting, and developing its building assets. Both historic and modern infrastructures are strategic for enhancing research and teaching quality. This project focuses on the Super Social Condenser a hybrid typology combining student housing, study spaces, and public amenities- to address housing deficits, social inequalities, and sustainability, aligning with Agenda 2030 goals for education and sustainable cities

PHEMI—Phenylbutyrate in Patients With Lactic Acidosis: A Pilot, Single Arm, Phase I/II, Open–Label Trial

Purpose: The 6 months pilot, single arm, phase I/II, open-label clinical trial PHEMI investigated the safety and efficacy of daily administration of phenylbutyrate in reducing lactic acidosis by at least 20% in 3 children (ages 7-10 yrs) with pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency and 6 adults with mitochondrial myopathy encephalopathy lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes. As a side study, we investigated the response to phenylbutyrate treatment in skin fibroblasts and cybrids derived from PHEMI patients with the aim of unraveling a possible in vivo-in vitro correlation. Methods: Safety was assessed through the collection of vital signs, clinical evaluations, blood samples, and reported adverse events. Efficacy was evaluated on biochemical and clinical endpoints. In vitro analysis explored the effects of phenylbutyrate in patients' fibroblasts and cybrids. Findings: At the starting dosage regimen of 10 g/m2/day, phenylbutyrate was effective in reducing lactic acidosis (by a mean of 13%), but lead to the development of adverse events in all adults. The reduced dose of 5 g/m2/day was well tolerated but did not meet the study's primary outcome. In parallel, the in vitro analyses confirmed that phenylbutyrate led to a reduction in lactate measured in culture medium, an increase in cellular respiration, and a slight increase in the activity of the Respiratory Chain Complexes. Implications: Our study fosters further research on phenylbutyrate in individuals with primary mitochondrial disease suffering from lactic acidosis. Future investigation should focus on a highly bioavailable, easier-to-administer drug formulation that allows the administration of a lower dosage regimen

Salt release and performance of self-ice-melting epoxy asphalt pavement under accelerated loading simulation conditions

To evaluate the salt release and road performance of self-ice-melting asphalt pavements under the environment-load coupling, this study aims to determine the ice melting, road performance, and the internal void structure of self-ice-melting asphalt pavements under accelerated loading simulation conditions. First, an indoor accelerated loading simulation (rainfall, loading, rain-load coupling) test system (ALSTS) was established, and 1.2 million cyclic loading tests were carried out on ordinary and self-ice-melting epoxy asphalt pavements. Then, the conductivity measurement test, freezing force test, and ice melting test were determined under different salt release conditions. Furthermore, the laser rutting instrument, pendulum friction meter, and Universal Testing Software (UTS) were used to determine the evolutionary patterns of rutting depth, skidding resistance, and dynamic modulus. Finally, the change law of the internal pore structure was determined by CT tomography and image processing technology. The results show that the coupling accelerated the release of salt from the self-ice-melting asphalt pavement, which exacerbated the decay rate of its road performance. Compared with the individual impact of rainfall, the coupling increased the salt release by 47.9∼71.2 % and shortened the de-icing life by 7.3∼13.3 %. Adding epoxy asphalt mitigated this adverse effect, which slowed down road performance decay, increased the fatigue life by 50.5∼104.8 %, and extended the de-icing life by 14.1∼33.9 %. Adding epoxy asphalt effectively inhibited the growth of internal voids and the creation of connected voids in the specimen, improving the fatigue resistance of self-ice-melting asphalt pavement by the CT image analysis

Ossicular chain changes revealed middle ear inflammation in medieval rural central Italy (Tuscany 10th-12th century)

Objective: To assess the prevalence of chronic otitis media in the medieval rural site of Pieve di Pava (central Italy) by analysing pathological changes in auditory ossicles and to investigate specific risk factors responsible for middle ear inflammation in a rural environment. Materials: A total of 224 ossicles from 119 individuals (20 pre-adults and 99 adults) were examined. Methods: Stereomicroscopic observation was used to evaluate osteoclastic and osteoblastic COM-related bone changes. Results: COM-related bone changes were observed in 52 ossicles, pertaining to 39 individuals (25 % of pre-adults and 34.3 % of adults), with no statistically significant difference between adult males and females. Pitting was the most common lesion-type (82.7 %), while new bone formation was less common (13.5 %). Conclusions: Compared to urban medieval sites in western and northern-eastern Europe, the individuals from rural Pieve di Pava exhibited lower rates of chronic otitis media. This may be attributed to reduced exposure to urban-risk factors, such as indoor air pollution and overcrowding. Conversely, rural-specific factors, like farming, husbandry, and craft activities, might have influenced the observed prevalence. Significance: The broad range of lesion-types on the ossicles and their severity helped us to provide diagnostic criteria for assessing COM in paleopathology. Limitations: The inability to examine all ossicles per individual, as well as the restricted number of pre-adults compared to adults. Suggestions for future research: Further archaeological population-based studies examining ossicles from different time periods and urban/rural settings across Mediterranean Europe could provide insights into the prevalence of chronic otitis media with a diachronic perspective

Liquid chromatography-based metallomics and transmission electron microscopy reveal gold nanoparticle surface treatment with vicinal dithiols to abolish protein corona formation

Aims: While gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) should allow the delivery of surface immobilized drugs to intended target tissues via the bloodstream, their interactions with plasma proteins may induce their aggregation and thus impede an effective delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to target tissues. The deliberate surface treatment of AuNPs has the potential to overcome this inherent limitation. Methods: To probe interactions between surface treated AuNPs in blood plasma, we employed a size-exclusion chromatography (SEC)-based metallomics tool together with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: After the addition of citrate capped AuNPs to plasma, its metallomics analysis revealed a >670 kDa Au species, which TEM analysis identified as AuNP-plasma protein aggregates. To ameliorate the formation of the latter, the surface of citrate capped AuNPs was modified with dithiothreitol (DTT), meso 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), or 2,3 dimercapto-1-propionesulfonic acid (DMPS) and the effect of this surface treatment was probed after the addition of these modified AuNPs to rabbit plasma. The results for DMSA/DMPS-treated AuNPs revealed that the tight binding of these dithiols more significantly reduced protein corona formation compared to DTT-AuNPs implying that the surface treatment of AuNPs with DMSA or DMPS is a feasible strategy to control protein corona formation and thus their aggregation in plasma. Conclusions: The AuNP-based delivery of immobilized drugs using targeting sequences to cancer tissues can be enhanced by their surface treatment with DMSA or DMPS. Since dithiols left over after the AuNP surface treatment mobilized iron from plasma metalloproteins, excess dithiols must be removed before injecting patients