60 research outputs found

    ASSESSING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON MOUNTAIN FORESTS: A BRIEF REVIEW

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    The effects of climate change on natural ecosystems are increasingly more visible. Being moun-tain forest ecosystems the most vulnerable and therefore the most affected ecosystems, they appear to be the most suitable for the assessment of climate change effects on ecosystem services. Accord-ingly, the paper reviews the literature on the economic assessment of climate change impacts in Eu-ropean mountain forests. Initially, the trends in the provision of mountain forest ecosystem services are discussed. The literature review also takes into account the effects on forest structure and trees physiology, being these two effects strictly associated with the capability of the ecosystem to pro-vide services. The results of this first part of the paper have been presented into a table that dis-plays both the trends and the quality and the quantity of the information available. Subsequently, the main methods that can be employed to assess the economic value of the different ecosystem ser-vices have been described. For each method some examples of implementation have been de-scribed. In the conclusion, the main gaps still existing in scientific literature concerning the effects of climate change on ecosystem services provided by mountain forests have been highlighted. Be-cause of the heterogeneity of the considered ecosystems it is of fundamental importance to have a comprehensive view of the phenomenon. Finally, some more remarks about the existing methods for the economic valuation of ecosystem services has been done

    Advances in the monitoring of geo-structure subjected to climate loading

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    The paper presents results achieved within the project MAGIC, a project funded by the European Commission under the Marie-Curie Industry Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP) scheme. The project MAGIC aims to advance the state-of-the art in the monitoring of geo-structures subjected to climate loading by filling some of the gaps in current monitoring technologies. The project involves a partnership between academic and industrial partners to boost knowledge transfer and promote the development of ‘industrial’ instruments and services. The paper presents developments concerning the measurement of pore-water tension (suction in excess of 100 kPa) and the integration of geotechnical and geophysical monitoring

    Application of short-term analysis of skin temperature variability in prediction of survival in patients with cirrhosis

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    BACKGROUND: : Liver cirrhosis is a complex disorder, involving several different organ systems and physiological network disruption. Various physiological markers have been developed for survival modelling in patients with cirrhosis. Reduction in heart rate variability and skin temperature variability have been shown to predict mortality in cirrhosis, with the potential to aid clinical prognostication. We have recently reported that short-term skin temperature variability analysis can predict survival independently of the severity of liver failure in cirrhosis. However, in previous reports, 24-h skin temperature recordings were used, which are often not feasible in the context of routine clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to determine the shortest length of time from 24-h proximal temperature recordings that can accurately and independently predict 12-month survival postrecording in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: Forty individuals diagnosed with cirrhosis participated in this study and wireless temperature sensors (iButtons) were used to record patients’ proximal skin temperature. From 24-h temperature recordings, different length of recordings (30 min, 1, 2, 3 and 6 h) were extracted sequentially for temperature variability analysis using the Extended Poincaré plot to quantify both short-term (SD1) and long-term (SD2) variability. These patients were then subsequently followed for a period of 12 months, during which data was gathered concerning any cases of mortality. RESULTS: Cirrhosis was associated with significantly decreased proximal skin temperature fluctuations among individuals who did not survive, across all durations of daytime temperature recordings lasting 1 hour or more. Survival analysis showcased 1-h daytime proximal skin temperature time-series to be significant predictors of survival in cirrhosis, whereby SD2, was found to be independent to the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and thus, the extent of disease severity. As expected, longer durations of time-series were also predictors of mortality for the majority of the temperature variability indices. CONCLUSION: Crucially, this study suggests that 1-h proximal skin temperature recordings are sufficient in length to accurately predict 12-month survival in patients with cirrhosis, independent from current prognostic indicators used in the clinic such as MELD

    Economic Impact of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in Italy. Analysis and Perspectives

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    Enrico Torre,1 Sergio Di Matteo,2 Chiara Martinotti,2 Giacomo Matteo Bruno,3 Umberto Goglia,4 Gianni Testino,5 Alberto Rebora,1 Luigi Carlo Bottaro,6 Giorgio Lorenzo Colombo3 1Diabetology and Metabolic Diseases Unit - ASL3, Genoa, Italy; 2Center of Research, SAVE Studi - Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Milan, Italy; 3Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; 4Territorial Diabetology Unit, ASLCN1, Cuneo, Italy; 5Units of Addiction and Hepatology, ASL3, Genoa, Italy; 6General Direction, ASL3, Genoa, ItalyCorrespondence: Giorgio Lorenzo Colombo, Email [email protected]: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a multisystem condition destined to become pandemic in the coming decades. This study aimed at evaluating the economic impact of MASLD in the Italian population from the Italian National Healthcare Service (NHS) perspective.Methods: The economic impact of the MASLD was assessed by developing a calculation model in Microsoft Excel® from the Italian NHS perspective, considering healthcare resources and direct costs. The target population was based on the prevalence data. Through a literature search, complications of MASLD were identified, including MASH, with relative risk of evolution into CC, DCC, HCC, T2DM, cardiovascular diseases, in particular AMI and stroke, CKD, and CRC. The differential impact between complication development in the population with MASLD and the same sample size population without-MASLD was evaluated. Differential risk data, mortality rates, and event unit costs were drawn from the published international literature. Frequency and cost data were applied to the total target population, the total annual costs and mortality data, referring to the two arms, were then calculated, and the differential value was obtained.Results: Based on an estimated 11,546,370 MASLD target population, an annual illness impact of € 12,251,631,822 was calculated, corresponding to a difference of € 7,731,674,054 compared with the same sample size without MASLD. Moreover, the MASLD population is expected to experience 13,438 additional deaths annually.Conclusion: The growing epidemiological impact of MASLD and its complications represent a huge economic burden for healthcare services worldwide. An integrated approach, including changes in lifestyle behaviors, will be the first step. Specific drugs for MASLD are not yet available; however, studies are underway, and combined pharmaceutical therapies may be an inevitable choice to achieve adequate control of MASLD and its complications.Keywords: metabolic associated fatty liver disease MASLD, complications, MASLD burden in Italy, healthcare costs, treatment and perspective

    The Application of the Extended Poincaré Plot in the Analysis of Physiological Variabilities

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    The Poincaré plot is a geometrical technique used to visualize and quantify the correlation between two consecutive data points in a time-series. Since the dynamics of fluctuations in physiological rhythms exhibit long-term correlation and memory, this study aimed to extend the Poincaré plot by calculating the correlation between sequential data points in a time-series, rather than between two consecutive points. By incorporating this so-called lag, we hope to integrate a temporal aspect into quantifying the correlation, to depict whether a physiological system holds prolonged association between events separated by time. In doing so, it attempts to instantaneously characterize the intrinsic behavior of a complex system. We tested this hypothesis on three different physiological time-series: heart rate variability in patients with liver cirrhosis, respiratory rhythm in asthma and body temperature fluctuation in patients with cirrhosis, to evaluate the potential application of the extended Poincaré method in clinical practice. When studying the cardiac inter-beat intervals, the extended Poincaré plot revealed a stronger autocorrelation for patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis compared to less severe cases using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. In addition, long-term variability (known as SD2 in the extended Poincaré plot) appeared as an independent prognostic variable. This holds significance by acting as a non-invasive tool to evaluate patients with chronic liver disease and potentially facilitate transplant selection as an adjuvant to traditional criteria. For asthmatics, employing the extended Poincaré plot allowed for a non-invasive tool to differentially diagnose various classifications of respiratory disease. In the respiratory inter-breath interval analysis, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve provided evidence that the extension of the Poincaré plot holds a greater advantage in the classification of asthmatic patients, over the traditional Poincaré plot. Lastly, the analysis of body temperature from patients using the extended Poincaré plot helped identify inpatients from outpatients with cirrhosis. Through these analyses, the extended Poincaré plot provided unique and additional information which could potentially make a difference in clinical practice. Conclusively, the potential use of our work lies in its possible application of predicting mortality for the organ allocation procedure in patients with cirrhosis and non-invasively distinguish between atopic and non-atopic asthma

    Towards a muon collider

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    A muon collider would enable the big jump ahead in energy reach that is needed for a fruitful exploration of fundamental interactions. The challenges of producing muon collisions at high luminosity and 10 TeV centre of mass energy are being investigated by the recently-formed International Muon Collider Collaboration. This Review summarises the status and the recent advances on muon colliders design, physics and detector studies. The aim is to provide a global perspective of the field and to outline directions for future work

    Towards a muon collider

    Get PDF
    A muon collider would enable the big jump ahead in energy reach that is needed for a fruitful exploration of fundamental interactions. The challenges of producing muon collisions at high luminosity and 10 TeV centre of mass energy are being investigated by the recently-formed International Muon Collider Collaboration. This Review summarises the status and the recent advances on muon colliders design, physics and detector studies. The aim is to provide a global perspective of the field and to outline directions for future work
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