Primer registro de la subfamilia Proctolabinae (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Acrididae) para la Argentina

Esta contribución registra por primera vez la subfamilia Proctolabinae para la Argentina. La subfamilia Proctolabinae contiene 29 géneros y 209 especies restringidas a la región Neotropical, con sólo uno de sus géneros, Eucephalacris Descamps, que llega al sur hasta Mato Grosso en Brasil y el norte de Paraguay. Ejemplares pertenecientes a Eucephalacris borellii (Giglio-Tos) fueron colectados en el departamento de Guaraní, provincia de Misiones. La presencia de Eucephalacris borellii, registrada en este trabajo, eleva a once el número de subfamilias de Acrididae presentes en la Argentina, y destaca la necesidad de realizar relevamientos sobre la diversidad de Acridoidea y de Orthoptera en general, en diversas regiones de nuestro país. También se brindan en esta contribución una breve diagnosis e ilustraciones de los caracteres que permiten la identificación del género y de la especie.This contribution records for the first time the subfamily Proctolabinae from Argentina. This subfamily contains 29 genera and 209 species restricted to the Neotropics with only one genus, Eucephalacris Descamps, reaching south as far as Mato Grosso in Brazil and northern Paraguay. Specimens belonging to Eucephalacris borellii (Giglio-Tos) were collected in Misiones province. The presence of this species registered herein raises to eleven the number of Acrididae subfamilies known to occur in the country, and highlights the importance of conducting surveys of Acridoidea and Orthoptera in general, in diverse regions of Argentina. Brief diagnoses and illustrations of the characters that allowed the identification of the genus and species are also given in this contribution.Fil: Bardi, Christian Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Pocco, Martina Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Cigliano, Maria Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Entomología; Argentin

Avaliação das práticas de gestão do conhecimento na agência nacional de telecomunicações

A Gestão do Conhecimento é de suma importância para as organizações em que o conhecimento desempenha papel essencial. Nesses casos, o conhecimento afeta o trabalho e determina mudanças irreversíveis, tanto na vida das organizações como das pessoas que lá trabalham. Este estudo analisa o processo de planejamento, implementação e desenvolvimento de práticas de gestão do conhecimento na Anatel, Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações. É orientado por uma abordagem teórica que foca, particularmente, na sociedade em rede (Castells, 1999) e nas dimensões da Gestão do Conhecimento (Angeloni, 2008). Um grupo de servidores da Anatel foi entrevistado e responderam a um questionário com o objetivo de se avaliar sua familiaridade com práticas de Gestão do Conhecimento. A inclusão da Gestão do Conhecimento como tópico da nova versão do Regimento Interno da Agência foi examinada, para verificar se representa passo estratégico para sua adoção pela Agência. O estudo avalia a motivação para a adoção da Gestão do Conhecimento, investiga a ocorrência de práticas de Gestão do Conhecimento na Anatel, bem como o estágio de sua implementação e o alcance de sua adoção entre os usuários da Agência e pela sociedade em geral. Finalmente, o estudo analisa se as iniciativas já tomadas para implementar a Gestão do Conhecimento são consistentes com as diretrizes estabelecidas no novo Regimento Interno e se tais ações são coordenadas de forma a promover a eficácia da Gestão do Conhecimento na AnatelNúmero de páginas: 79 p.Gestão PúblicaMonografia apresentada como exigência do Curso de Especialização em Gestão Pública da ENA

Digital life, mathematical skills and cognitive processes

A consistent part of the literature shows the significant role of digital experience in digital natives’ cognitive processes. The main goal of the current study was to investigate the impact of digital learning on the improvement of mathematical skills and on some change in cognitive processes in 166 primary school children from schools located in different parts of Italy. Participants were divided in two group: one group experienced the study of math mainly through digital tools, the other spent more time on pencil-and-paper trainings. All our participants were assessed with a battery of tests measuring numerical and cognitive abilities. Our results suggest the positive effect of a different type of training for the empowerment of visuo-spatial and numerical abilities. Specifically, effects of a digital experience are particularly evident in some specific numerical areas, such us accuracy, speed, semantic and syntactic numerical knowledge. Also, participants with greater experience of digital trainings score higher on spatial orientation

Fabrication of deformable patient-specific AAA models by material casting techniques

BackgroundAbdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is a balloon-like dilatation that can be life-threatening if not treated. Fabricating patient-specific AAA models can be beneficial for in-vitro investigations of hemodynamics, as well as for pre-surgical planning and training, testing the effectiveness of different interventions, or developing new surgical procedures. The current direct additive manufacturing techniques cannot simultaneously ensure the flexibility and transparency of models required by some applications. Therefore, casting techniques are presented to overcome these limitations and make the manufactured models suitable for in-vitro hemodynamic investigations, such as particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements or medical imaging.MethodsTwo complex patient-specific AAA geometries were considered, and the related 3D models were fabricated through material casting. In particular, two casting approaches, i.e. lost molds and lost core casting, were investigated and tested to manufacture the deformable AAA models. The manufactured models were acquired by magnetic resonance, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound imaging, and PIV. In particular, CT scans were segmented to generate a volumetric reconstruction for each manufactured model that was compared to a reference model to assess the accuracy of the manufacturing process.ResultsBoth lost molds and lost core casting techniques were successful in the manufacturing of the models. The lost molds casting allowed a high-level surface finish in the final 3D model. In this first case, the average signed distance between the manufactured model and the reference was (−0.2±0.2) mm. However, this approach was more expensive and time-consuming. On the other hand, the lost core casting was more affordable and allowed the reuse of the external molds to fabricate multiple copies of the same AAA model. In this second case, the average signed distance between the manufactured model and the reference was (0.1±0.6) mm. However, the final model’s surface finish quality was poorer compared to the model obtained by lost molds casting as the sealing of the outer molds was not as firm as the other casting technique.ConclusionsBoth lost molds and lost core casting techniques can be used for manufacturing patient-specific deformable AAA models suitable for hemodynamic investigations, including medical imaging and PIV

ARIADNEplus Data Aggregation Pipeline:User Guide (2.4)

The purpose of this User Guide is to provide a short introduction to the ARIADNEplus data aggregation pipeline. It defines, for the archaeological data providers, the process by which their data should be uploaded to the ARIADNE Content Cloud, so that it appears in the ARIADNEplus Catalogue, and can be searched via the ARIADNEplus Portal

The biocompatibility of amino functionalized CdSe/ZnS quantum-dot-Doped SiO2 nanoparticles with primary neural cells and their gene carrying performance.

Nanoparticles have an enormous potential for the development of applications in biomedicine such as gene or drug delivery. We developed and characterized NH(2) functionalized CdSe/ZnS quantum dot (QD)-doped SiO(2) nanoparticles (NPs) with both imaging and gene carrier capabilities. We show that QD-doped SiO(2) NPs are internalized by primary cortical neural cells without inducing cell death in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the ability to bind, transport and release DNA into the cell allows GFP-plasmid transfection of NIH-3T3 and human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell lines. QD-doped SiO(2) NPs properties make them a valuable tool for future nanomedicine application

Safety and efficacy of prophylactic treatment for hyperthyroidism induced by iodinated contrast media in a high-risk population

IntroductionThe use of iodinated contrast media (ICM) can lead to thyrotoxicosis, especially in patients with risk factors, such as Graves' disease, multinodular goiter, older age, and iodine deficiency. Although hyperthyroidism may have clinically relevant effects, whether high-risk patients should receive prophylactic treatment before they are administered ICM is still debated. Aim of the studyWe aimed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of prophylactic treatment with sodium perchlorate and/or methimazole to prevent ICM-induced hyperthyroidism (ICMIH) in a population of high-risk cardiac patients. We ran a cost analysis to ascertain the most cost-effective prophylactic treatment protocol. We also aimed to identify possible risk factors for the onset of ICMIH. Materials and methodsWe performed a longitudinal retrospective study on 61 patients admitted to a tertiary-level cardiology unit for diagnostic and/or therapeutic ICM-procedures. We included patients with available records of thyroid function tests performed before and after ICM were administered, who were at high risk of developing ICMIH. Patients were given one of two different prophylactic treatments (methimazole alone or both methimazole and sodium perchlorate) or no prophylactic treatment. The difference between their thyroid function at the baseline and 11-30 days after the ICM-related procedure was considered the principal endpoint. ResultsTwenty-three (38%) of the 61 patients were given a prophylactic treatment. Thyroid function deteriorated after the administration of ICM in 9/61 patients (15%). These cases were associated with higher plasma creatinine levels at admission, higher baseline TSH levels, lower baseline FT4 levels, and no use of prophylactic treatment. The type of prophylaxis provided did not influence any onset of ICMIH. A cost-benefit analysis showed that prophylactic treatment with methimazole alone was less costly per person than the combination protocol. On multivariate analysis, only the use of a prophylactic treatment was independently associated with a reduction in the risk of ICMIH. Patients not given any prophylactic treatment had a nearly five-fold higher relative risk of developing ICMIH. ConclusionProphylactic treatment can prevent the onset of ICMIH in high-risk populations administered ICM. Prophylaxis is safe and effective in this setting, especially in cardiopathic patients. Prophylaxis with methimazole alone seems to be the most cost-effective option

Nonlinear Eigenvalues and Bifurcation Problems for Pucci's Operator

In this paper we extend existing results concerning generalized eigenvalues of Pucci's extremal operators. In the radial case, we also give a complete description of their spectrum, together with an equivalent of Rabinowitz's Global Bifurcation Theorem. This allows us to solve equations involving Pucci's operators

Study of breathing pattern and thoracoabdominal movement in mitral valve disease

FUNDAMENTO: pacientes com valvopatia mitral podem evoluir com congestão pulmonar, que aumenta o trabalho dos músculos respiratórios; essa sobrecarga pode alterar o padrão respiratório com predomínio do deslocamento torácico ou presença de movimentos paradoxais. OBJETIVO: a) estudar o padrão respiratório e movimento toracoabdominal (MTA) em pacientes com doença mitral b) estudar o efeito do posicionamento nos parâmetros respiratórios c) correlacionar hipertensão pulmonar com presença de incoordenação do MTA. MÉTODOS: o padrão respiratório e o MTA de pacientes com doença mitral foram avaliados por pletismografia respiratória por indutância, nas posições dorsal e sentada, durante dois minutos de respiração tranquila. Analisou-se volume corrente (Vc) e tempos respiratórios e as variáveis do MTA. RESULTADOS: de 65 pacientes incluídos, 10 foram retirados, 29 participaram do grupo estenose mitral e 26 do grupo insuficiência mitral. O Vc, a ventilação pulmonar e o fluxo inspiratório médio aumentaram significantemente na posição sentada, sem diferenças entre os grupos. O MTA manteve-se coordenado entre os grupos e as posições; no entanto, cinco pacientes na posição dorsal apresentaram incoordenação (três no grupo estenose mitral; dois no grupo insuficiência mitral) com correlação significante com valores de pressão de artéria pulmonar (r = 0,992, p = 0,007). CONCLUSÃO: o padrão respiratório e o MTA não apresentam diferenças entre pacientes com estenose ou insuficiência mitral. A posição sentada aumenta o Vc sem alterar os tempos respiratórios. A presença de incoordenação toracoabdominal na posição dorsal esteve associação à hipertensão pulmonar