The Dynamic Cooperation Network as an Instrument for the Technological management and Innovation Process: The Case of the Brazilian Aeronautic Sector

The articulation of the Science,Technology & Innovation actors and the development of collaborative actions are essential to improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of the Brazilian aeronautic process and to maintain its global competitiveness. The present paper analyzes the dynamic cooperation network model of the Brazilian aeronautic sector based on the case study executed in joint with the Industrial Promotion and Coordination Institute (IFI) – an organization responsible for the industrial support and infrastructure programs to improve the quality and the training of this sector. As a result, this work identifies some critical factors for success related to the cooperation network model for the growth of the sector competitiveness potential.La articulación entre los actores de la Ciencia, Tecnología y la Innovación, y el desarrollo de acciones en conjunto son esenciales para realizar mejoras en la eficiencia y efectividad del proceso Brasilero de aeronáutica, y para mantener su competitividad global. El siguiente trabajo analiza el modelo dinámico de cooperación en red del sector aeronáutico Brasilero basado en el estudio de caso llevado a cabo en conjunto con el Instituto de Coordinación y Promoción Industrial (IFI)- una organización responsable del apoyo e infraestructura de programas que mejoren la calidad y la capacitación en éste sector. Como resultado, éste trabajo identifica algunos factores críticos para el éxito relacionado al modelo de cooperación en red para el crecimiento del potencial competitivo del sector.The articulation of the Science, Technology &Innovation actors and the development of collaborative actions are essential to improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of the Brazilian aeronautic process and to maintain its global competitiveness. The present paper analyzes the dynamic cooperation network model of the Brazilian aeronautic sector based on the case study executed in joint with the Industrial Promotion and Coordination Institute (IFI) – an organization responsible for the industrial support and infrastructure programs to improve the quality and the training of this sector. As a result, this work identifies some critical factors for success related to the cooperation network model for the growth of the sector competitiveness potential

Laparoscopic single site (LESS) and classic video-laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the elderly: A single centre experience

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the gold-standard surgical method used to treat gallbladder diseases. Recently Laparoendoscopic single site surgery (LESS) has gained greater interest and diffusion for the surgical treatment of several pathologies. In elderly patients, just few randomized controlled trials are present in the literature that confirm the clinical advantages of LESS compared with the classic laparoscopic procedures.We present in this paper the preliminary results of this randomized prospective study regarding the feasibility and safety of LESS cholecystectomy versus classic laparoscopic technique. We demonstrated that LESS technique compared with traditional technique show some advantages like: acceptable operative times, lower post-operative discomfort and sometimes reduction added complications. In addition we also demonstrate that fewer incisions and less scarring which mean less pain, and fewer parietal complications are related to this surgical procedure. In conclusion in the elderly LESS cholecystectomy technique is to be considered a suitable alternative to traditional three-port cholecystectomy

Partial pulpotomy without age restriction: a retrospective assessment of permanent teeth with carious pulp exposure

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate clinical and radiographic outcomes of partial pulpotomy performed in permanent teeth with carious pulp exposure. MATERIALS AND METHODS Records of patients undergoing treatment at an undergraduate dental clinic between 2010 and 2019 were screened for partial pulpotomies in teeth with a presumptive diagnosis of normal pulp or reversible pulpitis. The follow-up had to be ≥ 1 year. Patient data were retrieved and analyzed using Mantel-Cox chi square tests and Kaplan-Meier statistics. The level of significance was set at α = 0.05. RESULTS Partial pulpotomy was performed in 111 cases, of which 64 (58%) fulfilled the eligibility criteria. At the time of partial pulpotomy, the mean age was 37.3 (± 13.5) years (age range 18-85). The mean observation period was 3.1 (± 2.0) years. Two early failures (3.1%) and five late failures (7.7%) were recorded. The overall success rate of maintaining pulp vitality was 89.1%, with 98.4% tooth survival. The cumulative pulp survival rates of partial pulpotomy in patients aged  40 years were 100%, 75.5%, and 90.5%, respectively, with no significant difference between the age groups (p = 0.225). At follow-up, narrowing of the pulp canal space and tooth discoloration were observed in 10.9% and 3.1% of cases, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Across age groups, partial pulpotomy achieved favorable short and medium-term outcomes in teeth with carious pulp exposure. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Adequate case selection provided, partial pulpotomy is a viable operative approach to treat permanent teeth with deep carious lesions irrespective of patients' age

Digital orthophotos at a scale of 1:5000 from high resolution satellite images

This paper describes the first results of a study, carried out within the national research program “Cofin2001”, on the potential use of high resolution satellite images for making digital orthophotos at a scale of 1:5000 and 1:10,000. Particularly, images from IKONOS II and QuickBird of four different types of areas were employed: the first area is the city of Palermo, a greatly urbanized area; the second area is the extra-urban territory near the town of Contessa Entellina in south-western Sicily; the third area is the famous tourist resort of Scopello, in the western Sicily; the last area is the Caselle Airport, a flat zone near Torino. The first three images were orthorectified by using Rational Functions Model (RFM), varying the number of the GCP and using a DEM with 10 m gridcell; the last image was orthorectified by using the Toutin model and a DEM with 40 m grid-cell

High-density EEG power topography and connectivity during confusional arousal.

Confusional arousal is the milder expression of a family of disorders known as Disorders of Arousal (DOA) from non-REM sleep. These disorders are characterized by recurrent abnormal behaviors that occur in a state of reduced awareness for the external environment. Despite frequent amnesia for the nocturnal events, when actively probed, patients are able to report vivid hallucinatory/dream-like mental imagery. Traditional (low-density) scalp and stereo-electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings previously showed a pathological admixture of slow oscillations typical of NREM sleep and wake-like fast-mixed frequencies during these phenomena. However, our knowledge about the specific neural EEG dynamics over the entire brain is limited. We collected 2 consecutive in-laboratory sleep recordings using high-density (hd)-EEG (256 vertex-referenced geodesic system) coupled with standard video-polysomnography (v-PSG) from a 12-year-old drug-naïve and otherwise healthy child with a long-lasting history of sleepwalking. Source power topography and functional connectivity were computed during 20 selected confusional arousal episodes (from -6 to +18 sec after motor onset), and during baseline slow wave sleep preceding each episode (from - 3 to -2 min before onset). We found a widespread increase in slow wave activity (SWA) theta, alpha, beta, gamma power, associated with a parallel decrease in the sigma range during behavioral episodes compared to baseline sleep. Bilateral Broadman area 7 and right Broadman areas 39 and 40 were relatively spared by the massive increase in SWA power. Functional SWA connectivity analysis revealed a drastic increase in the number and complexity of connections from baseline sleep to full-blown episodes, that mainly involved an increased out-flow from bilateral fronto-medial prefrontal cortex and left temporal lobe to other cortical regions. These effects could be appreciated in the 6 sec window preceding behavioral onset. Overall, our results support the idea that DOA are the expression of peculiar brain states, compatible with a partial re-emergence of consciousness

Acid ceramidase controls apoptosis and increases autophagy in human melanoma cells treated with doxorubicin

Acid ceramidase (AC) is a lysosomal hydrolase encoded by the ASAH1 gene, which cleaves ceramides into sphingosine and fatty acid. AC is expressed at high levels in most human melanoma cell lines and may confer resistance against chemotherapeutic agents. One such agent, doxorubicin, was shown to increase ceramide levels in melanoma cells. Ceramides contribute to the regulation of autophagy and apoptosis. Here we investigated the impact of AC ablation via CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing on the response of A375 melanoma cells to doxorubicin. We found that doxorubicin activates the autophagic response in wild-type A375 cells, which effectively resist apoptotic cell death. In striking contrast, doxorubicin fails to stimulate autophagy in A375 AC-null cells, which rapidly undergo apoptosis when exposed to the drug. The present work highlights changes that affect melanoma cells during incubation with doxorubicin, in A375 melanoma cells lacking AC. We found that the remarkable reduction in recovery rate after doxorubicin treatment is strictly associated with the impairment of autophagy, that forces the AC-inhibited cells into apoptotic path

Temperature affects organic acid, terpene and stilbene metabolisms in wine grapes during postharvest dehydration

The partial dehydration of grapes after harvest is a traditional practice in several winegrowing regions that leads to the production of high quality wines. Postharvest dehydration (also known as withering) has a significant impact on the overall metabolism and physiology of the berry, yielding a final product that is richer in sugars, solutes, and aroma compounds. These changes are, at least in part, the result of a stress response, which is controlled at transcriptional level, and are highly dependent on the grape water loss kinetics and the environmental parameters of the facility where grapes are stored to wither. However, it is difficult to separate the effects driven by each single environmental factor from those of the dehydration rate, especially discerning the effect of temperature that greatly affects the water loss kinetics. To define the temperature influence on grape physiology and composition during postharvest dehydration, the withering of the red-skin grape cultivar Corvina (Vitis vinifera) was studied in two conditioned rooms set at distinct temperatures and at varying relative humidity to maintain an equal grape water loss rate. The effect of temperature was also studied by withering the grapes in two unconditioned facilities located in geographic areas with divergent climates. Technological, LC-MS and GC-MS analyses revealed higher levels of organic acids, flavonols, terpenes and cis- and trans-resveratrol in the grapes withered at lower temperature conditions, whereas higher concentrations of oligomeric stilbenes were found in the grapes stored at higher temperatures. Lower expression of the malate dehydrogenase and laccase, while higher expression of the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, stilbene synthase and terpene synthase genes were detected in the grapes withered at lower temperatures. Our findings provide insights into the importance of the temperature in postharvest withering and its effect on the metabolism of the grapes and on the quality of the derived wines

Association of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiometabolic risk factors with early atherosclerosis in an adult population in Southern Italy

Aim. The prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases was inves-tigated in an adult population of the city of Cittanova, Southern Italy. Methods. The study was conducted among 992 randomly selected adults aged 18-75 years, between April 2009 and January 2011.  Results. Prevalence rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), overweight, obe-sity, and metabolic syndrome (MS) were 24.8%, 41.5%, 27.1%, and 34.4%, respectively. For the components of MS, prevalence of central obesity was 47.4%, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) 34.7%; hypertension 53.7%, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) choles-terol 34.2%, and hypertriglyceridemia 27.2%.  Conclusions. Hypertension, central obesity, IFG, low HDL cholesterol, hypertriglyc-eridemia, MS, and increased carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) were sig-nificantly associated with NAFLD after adjustment for age and sex. With additional adjustment for body mass index (BMI), IMT and MS (depending on the prevalence ra-tio that was investigated), the positive association between the NAFLD and increased IMT lost statistical significance, while that with body mass index (BMI) and MS re-mained significant