Chapter 8: Interhemispheric differences in visual attention

The chapter explores the difference between the cerebral hemispheres in the three categories of attention described in the fundamental classification of Posner and Petersen: Alerting, Orienting, and Executive Functions. The first section is concerned with the brain localization of visuospatial attention as studied in brain-damaged patients, mainly hemineglect and callosum-sectioned patients. Other important results have been provided more recently by means of brain imaging studies of cortical and subcortical attention networks. Most of these studies have shown a clear dominance of the right hemisphere (RH) in visuospatial attention, but there are some exceptions. Accordingly, the second section concerns the role of the left hemisphere (LH) in visuospatial attention. A third section describes the contribution of attention to interhemispheric communication. A fourth section is focused on a discussion of the existence of hemispheric asymmetries not only in conscious but also in unconscious attention. Further, a fifth section concerns the effects of emotion on hemispheric differences in visuospatial attention. Finally, the last section briefly discusses the controversial evidence concerning laterality in executive functions

La commedia: origine e forme, Come è fatta una commedia greca

Profilo dedicato alle origini e agli sviluppi della Commedia greca

Analysis of the factors influencing the proximity and agreement between critical power and maximal lactate steady state: a systematic review and meta-analyses

Identifying the boundary between heavy and severe exercise domains is crucial since it demarcates the transition from sustainable to unsustainable exercise. This systematic review aimed to determine differences and agreement between two indices used to determine this boundary, namely critical power (CP) and maximal lactate steady state (MLSS), and how moderators may affect these differences. Ten out of 782 studies found were included in the meta analyses. Random effect meta-analyses were performed to evaluate the mean differences (MD) between CP and MLSS, and moderators' effect on MD was assessed using meta-regression. CP and MLSS agreement was tested using Bland-Altman meta-analyses on the limits of agreements (LoA) of the MD. Power output (PO) at CP was higher (MD (95% LoA) = 12.42 [-19.23; 44.08] W, p = 0.005) than PO at MLSS, with no differences between CP and MLSS in terms of oxygen uptake (MD (95% LoA) = 0.09 [-0.34; 0.52] L⋅min-1, p = 0.097), heart rate (MD (95% LoA) = 0.61 [-15.84; 17.05] bpm, p = 0.784), and blood lactate concentration (MD (95% LoA) = 1.63 [-2.85; 6.11] mM, p = 0.240). Intensities at CP (p = 0.002) and MLSS (p = 0.010) influenced the MD expressed in W. In conclusion, solely when expressed in PO, CP was higher than MLSS, with larger differences in fitter and younger individuals, emphasizing the possible effect of the indicators used for assessing exercise intensity. Finally, the high interindividual variability observed in the differences between CP and MLSS could compromise their interchangeability in predicting the heavy to severe boundary regardless of the parameter used to assess exercise intensity

Maternal and neonatal outcomes after a more interventional versus a more expectant management of the second stage of labor: A retrospective multicenter study

Background: The optimal duration of second stage of labor has been largely discussed in literature, but there are no uniformly accepted contemporary criteria for defining normal or abnormal length. Available evidence suggests that longer duration of second stage of labor is associated with a lower rate of spontaneous vaginal delivery and increased maternal morbidity. On the neonatal side, it seems that longer second stage doesn't affect new-born morbidity, in a context of very rare neonatal complications. Objectives: To investigate the association between the second stage of labor management and maternal and neonatal outcomes. Study design: This is a retrospective multicenter study involving all consecutive singleton term pregnancies who reached the second stage of labor between January and December 2022 at two third level maternity Hospitals. We compared an interventional management (considering operative vaginal delivery after 30 min of pushing) adopted at Robert Debre Hospital in France, and an expectant management (up to 1-2 h of pushing based on parity) adopted at AOUI Verona in Italy. Propensity score matched 1:1 analysis was implemented. The association between the second stage of labor management and maternal and neonatal outcomes was tested by conditional logistic regression, overall and stratified by parity. Results: The propensity score matching (1:1) identified 1,168 matched couples of women. The interventional management was associated with a higher use of operative vaginal delivery (OR 2.3, 95 %CI 1.8-2.9) and episiotomy (OR 1.4, 95 % CI1.1-1.8), and a lower risk of severe postpartum hemorrhage (OR 0.1, 95 %CI 0.05-0.3) and cesarean section among nulliparous (OR 0.4, 95 % CI 0.2-0.9). No association with perineal lacerations, neonatal outcomes, and major maternal morbidity was observed. Conclusions: The interventional management was associated with lower risk of postpartum hemorrhage in all patients and cesarean section among nulliparous women, but higher operative vaginal delivery and episiotomy use, without clinical advantages for the newborn. To support one approach over the other, additional factors should be considered, such as women's preferences and expectations, obstetricians' skills, and medicolegal context

Agonism and performance in adolescent football players in informal physical education settings

Football is one of the most widely practiced sports in the world, and competition significantly influences athletic performance, especially in adolescents who experience emotional pressure that impacts their performance through the management of performance-related stress. Physical education is integrated within the school curriculum, but it is also typically delivered in sports associations engaged in competitive activities, which become informal learning environments as they pursue the same educational goals as schools. However, few studies have focused on this aspect, particularly the role of emotions and their relationship with performance anxiety in adolescent football players. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between pre-competitive anxiety and emotional regulation in adolescents regarding competitive performance. The study design was exploratory. A sample of 79 Under-19 football players, with a mean age of 14.6 (±1.89) years, was recruited through convenience sampling. A battery of pre-competition questionnaires was administered, including the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) to measure anxiety levels and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue-SF) to assess pre-competition emotional levels. Spearman's correlation was used to evaluate the strength and direction of the relationship between emotional levels and anxiety, while Chi-square test was employed to examine differences in anxiety levels across different player roles. The results showed that 70% of the football players displayed normal anxiety levels, with no significant differences across player positions. No significant correlation was found between emotional levels and anxiety. The primary causes of anxiety were cognitive concerns and bodily sensations, which negatively affected concentration. Although emotions were generally high, they did not appear to directly influence performance anxiety, suggesting that other factors may contribute to pre-competitive emotional regulation. In conclusion, contrary to common belief, performance anxiety in adolescent football competitions does not have a direct impact on emotional levels

Basal and post-stress ceramide-based risk score CERT1 predicts all-cause mortality and nonfatal myocardial infarction in patients with suspected or established coronary artery disease undergoing stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy

Background and aim: We examined whether a plasma ceramide-based risk score (CERT1 score), a newly proposed tool for cardiovascular risk prediction, is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and nonfatal myocardial infarction in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods and results: We studied 167 ambulatory patients who consecutively underwent stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) for clinical reasons in 2017 (at baseline) and then followed for a median of 6 years (inter-quartile range: 4.7-6.6 years). For the calculation of the CERT1 score, both before and after stress MPS, we measured three specific plasma ceramide concentrations [Cer(d18:1/16:0), Cer(d18:1/18:0) and Cer(d18:1/24:1)] and their ratio to Cer(d18:1/24:0) using a targeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay. The primary outcome of the study was a composite of all-cause mortality or nonfatal myocardial infarction. During a median of 6 years, a total of 50 events occurred (26 all-cause deaths and 24 nonfatal myocardial infarctions). There was a significant association between pre-stress CERT1 risk categories (high vs. low risk) at baseline and the risk of developing the primary composite outcome (unadjusted HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.02-3.14). This risk remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, diabetes, pre-existing CAD, left ventricular ejection fraction, and stress-induced inducible myocardial ischemia on MPS (adjusted HR 2.28, 95% CI 1.17-4.41, p = 0.015). Almost identical results were observed for post-stress CERT1 risk categories. Conclusions: Pre-stress and post-stress CERT1 high-risk categories at baseline were strongly associated with an increased long-term risk of all-cause mortality or nonfatal myocardial infarction in patients with suspected or established CAD

Multispectral Imaging Supervised by Optical Spectrometry for Close Acquisition in Precision Agriculture

Satellite and airborne multispectral imaging has shown huge potential for many agricultural applications, primarily for plant indices. Imaging close to plants allows further expansion of this potential, such as early identification of plant disease or sufficient maturity status for harvest. To this aim, the joint use of optical spectrometry and multispectral imaging is shown effective: the most informative spectral bands for a given application can be identified so that the number of filters could be reduced to be mounted on a dedicated multispectral imaging system. To validate the on-field approach, we developed a compact, modular multispectral imaging system equipped with four sensors in the visible and near- IR band, a sensor in the far-IR, and a set of sensors to measure environmental parameters (T, RH, CO2, lux). This system collects only the most informative data needed for specific tasks from which spectral indices or processing methods can be implemented to improve automated analysis also through artificial intelligence approaches

Variations in sensorially-relevant metabolites and indices in PDO wines of common ampelographic background: A case study on commercial Lambrusco wines

PDOs are important regulatory tools with the aim to link specific food products to their geographical origin. Despite the widespread presence of PDOs in wine sector, there is limited understanding as to whether wines of the same PDO exhibit common chemical signatures which can be considered representative of the PDO. Improved understanding of these could help in the development of successful PDO policies. In this context, this study considers 40 wines of three different PDOs of Lambrusco (Salamino, Grasparossa and Sorbara), a sparkling red wine produced in Italy, with the aim to evaluate to which extent a chemical signature reflecting sensoriallyrelevant metabolites could be identified for each PDO, also considering technological variables such as production technique and vintage. In comparison to other Italian wines, Lambrusco PDOs exhibited common features such as high content of acetate esters, trans-3-hexen-1-ol and 1,8-cineole. Lambrusco appellations differed for volatile metabolites such as terpenes, VSCs, C6 alcohols, TDN. Sorbara was characterized by lower content of phenolic compounds. The study of the impact of aging and production techniques revealed a greater impact of the former on the volatile profile. Young Classico methods were more similar to Charmat wines from the same vintages, rather than to older classic methods

Immunohistochemical Expression of PAX8 in Central Nervous System Hemangioblastomas: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall for Neuropathologists

: The histologic differential diagnosis between intracranial hemangioblastoma (HB) and metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma may be challenging, especially considering that both tumors exhibit clear cell morphology and can be associated with vHL mutation and/or Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. As the execution of immunohistochemical analyses is often mandatory, the expression of PAX8 has been traditionally considered a reliable marker of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma, being consistently negative in intracranial HB. However, as in recent years, some cases of PAX8-positive HBs have been reported in the literature; we studied the expression of this antibody on a series of 23 intracranial HB, showing that about 40% of these tumors may express PAX8 and that this immunoreactivity is often focal and weak. We would like to emphasize that the possibility of a PAX8-positive intracranial HB does exist and must be taken into account by neuropathologists to avoid misdiagnoses; in this regard, a broader immunohistochemical panel also including CD10, Inhibin-α, PAX2, S100, and anti-Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) antibody is highly recommended

Hugo von Hofmannsthal, «Prologo all'Antigone di Sofocle». Introduzione e traduzione di Gherardo Ugolini. Testo tedesco a fronte.

Scritto nel marzo del 1900 a Parigi e andato in scena quello stesso anno al Lessingtheater di Berlino quale prologo di una rappresentazione dell’Antigone sofoclea, il Vorspiel zur Antigone des Sophokles è un testo poco noto del poeta e drammaturgo viennese Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874-1929). In 204 versi pentametri giambici senza rima, l’autore presenta uno splendido apologo sul senso profondo del fare teatro e sulle origini greche della drammaturgia moderna. Un fantasma, “genio della tragedia”, da identificare con la figura di Antigone si manifesta dinnanzi a uno studente-attore e gli rivela, nel corso di una sorta di rito iniziatico, il mistero della tragedia greca, l’arcano della potente forza attrattiva che essa ha esercitato per secoli e che continua ad esercitare. Poco considerato negli studi sulla ricezione di Antigone, il Vorspiel di Hofmannsthal preannuncia alcuni temi di quella drammaturgia ‘greca’ di spirazione nietzschiana che troveranno una più approfondita realizzazione in opere successive quali Elektra e Oidipus und die Sphinx. È la musica, in particolare, ad avere un ruolo essenziale: laddove la parola non è in grado di comprendere ed esprimere lo scuotimento emotivo che può essere trasmesso attraverso lo spettacolo teatrale, subentra la potenza della musica, quintessenza del dionisiaco e dunque del tragico