Multi-year total ozone column variability at three Norwegian sites and the influence of Northern Hemisphere Climatic indices

Total ozone column (TOC) measurements are retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura satellite at the three Norwegian sites: Oslo (59.9 degrees N 10.7 degrees E, 1 m a.s. l.), Trondheim (63.4 degrees N 10.4 degrees E, 3 m a.s.l.) and Andoya (69.1 degrees N 15.7 degrees E, 32 m a.s.l.). TOC data have been analysed from 2005 to 2021, in order to detect annual and multi-years total ozone variability. The relationship between geopotential height (GPH) at 250 hPa and total ozone column has been evaluated after showing that monthly anomalies in GPH and TOC are correlated amongst the three sites. The influence of the three Northern Hemisphere Tele Connection (TC) indices (North Atlantic Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation and Scandinavia) on TOC variability has been investigated. It is found that Scandinavia index plays a prominent role for the northernmost latitudes of Andoya and Trondheim while North Atlantic Oscillation and Arctic Oscillation indices are weakly correlated (negatively) to TOC and (positively) to GPH at Oslo. The response of TOC variability to the solar activity at the three sites is also explored and it is noticed that in the period of increasing variation of solar activity, significant TOC anomaly events are only observed in Andoya and Trondheim

Unimpaired Neuropsychological Performance and Enhanced Memory Recall in Patients with Sbma: A Large Sample Comparative Study.

Peculiar cognitive profile of patients with SBMA has been described by fragmented literature. Our retrospective study reports the neuropsychological evaluations of a large cohort of patients in order to contribute towards the understanding of this field. We consider 64 neuropsychological evaluations assessing mnesic, linguistic and executive functions collected from 2013 to 2015 in patients attending at Motor Neuron Disease Centre of University of Padova. The battery consisted in: Digit Span forwards and backwards, Prose Memory test, Phonemic Verbal fluency and Trail making tests. ANCOVA statistics were employed to compare tests scores results with those obtained from a sample of healthy control subjects. Multiple linear regressions were used to study the effect on cognitive performance of CAG-repeat expansion, the degree of androgen insensitivity and their interaction to cognitive performance. Statistical analyses did not reveal altered scores in any neuropsychological tests among those adopted. Interestingly, patients performed significantly better in the Prose Memory test's score. No relevant associations were found with genetic, hormonal or clinical patients' profile. Results inconsistent with previous studies have been interpreted according to the phenomenon of somatic mosaicism. We suggest a testosterone-related and the mood state-dependant perspectives as two possible interpretations of the enhanced performances in the Prose Memory test. Further studies employing more datailed tests batteries are encouraged

The quasi-markets in higher education: from the improbable perfectly competitive markets to the unavoidable State regulation

In the last two decades multilateral international organisms and the governments of several countries have stimulated reforms in higher education that fostered, fundamentally, the expansion of private school systems, the reduction of public financing, the charging of school fees, and the competition in the provision of educational services. As a consequence, it has been observed a phenomenon of commercialization, in which the development of the ends and means of higher education, both in state and in the private realms, is redirected in accordance to the principles and logic of the market, and under which education gradually loses its status as a public good, and acquires the position of a commercial service. The present article focuses on the emergence of the market logic and mechanisms in the context on higher education, based on important economic concepts, such as those of competitive market, free market, state intervention, quasi-markets and market failure. The occurrences of competition imperfections are described and analyzed, namely, the market failures generally present in the context of higher education: public goods, positive externalities, powers of monopoly, and asymmetrical information. The text concludes that the regulation of national States is indispensable and that, consequently, the establishment of perfectly competitive markets within the sphere of higher education is very unlikely.Nas últimas duas décadas, organismos internacionais multilaterais e governos de diversos países incentivaram reformas na educação superior que geraram, principalmente, a expansão das redes de instituições privadas, a redução dos financiamentos públicos, a cobrança de mensalidades e a competição no provimento de serviços educacionais. Como consequência, observou-se o fenômeno da mercantilização, no qual o desenvolvimento dos fins e dos meios da educação superior, tanto no âmbito estatal como no privado, sofre uma reorientação de acordo com os princípios e a lógica do mercado, e sob o qual a educação, gradativa e progressivamente, perde o status de bem público e assume a condição de serviço comercial. O presente artigo aborda a emergência da lógica e de mecanismos de mercado no contexto da educação superior, tomando por base importantes conceitos econômicos tais como mercado competitivo, livre mercado, intervenção estatal, quase-mercados e falhas de mercado. São descritas e analisadas as ocorrências de imperfeições de competição, ou seja, as falhas de mercado geralmente presentes nos contextos da educação superior: bens públicos, externalidades positivas, poder de monopólio e informações assimétricas. Por fim, conclui-se que a regulação dos Estados nacionais é imprescindível e que, por conseguinte, o estabelecimento de mercados perfeitamente competitivos no âmbito da educação superior é altamente improvável

Adaptation of the Penetration-Aspiration Scale to Open Partial Horizontal Laryngectomy: reliability analysis

The study aimed at adapting the Penetration-Aspiration scale to OPHL and analysing its reliability

Climate-induced conservation risks of historic reinforced concrete buildings: Preliminary results from literature review

Environmental conditions can favour different kinds of deterioration in historic reinforced concrete structures. This preliminary results from literature review are focused on the climate-induced risks affecting reinforced concrete buildings with respect to mechanical, chemical, and biological deterioration. To this purpose, a three-step process defined by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow diagram, was used leading to the inclusion of 45 documents identified via the search engines Scopus and Web of Science. The outcomes highlight that chemical and mechanical decays are the most investigated ones, being mainly triggered by salt weathering and freezing-thawing cycles. It was found that experimental and theoretical approaches are often coupled to estimate climate-induced deterioration mechanisms, also considering environmental parameters. Finally, the literature search provides some milestones which can be used to evaluate gaps and research needs in the field of climate-induced conservative risks affecting reinforced concrete structures

The Penetration–Aspiration Scale: Adaptation to Open Partial Laryngectomy and Reliability Analysis

A standard for assessing swallowing function after open partial horizontal laryngectomy (OPHL) is still not established. The variability in the measures used to investigate swallowing functional outcomes after OPHL limits the communication among clinicians and the possibility to compare and combine results from different studies. The study aims to adapt the PAS to the altered anatomy after OPHLs using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and to test its reliability. To adapt the PAS, two landmarks were identified: the entry of the laryngeal vestibule and the neoglottis. Ninety patients who underwent an OPHL were recruited (27 type I, 31 type II and 32 type III). FEES was performed and video-recorded. Two speech and language therapists (SLTs) independently rated each FEES using the PAS adapted for OPHL (OPHL-PAS). FEES recordings were rated for a second time by both SLTs at least 15 days from the first video analysis. Inter- and intra-rater agreement was assessed using unweighted Cohen's kappa. Overall, inter-rater agreement of the OPHL-PAS was k\u2009=\u20090.863, while intra-rater agreement was k\u2009=\u20090.854. Concerning different OPHL types, inter- and intra-rater agreement were k\u2009=\u20090.924 and k\u2009=\u20090.914 for type I, k\u2009=\u20090.865 and k\u2009=\u20090.790 for type II, and k\u2009=\u20090.808 and k\u2009=\u20090.858 for type III, respectively. The OPHL-PAS is a reliable scale to assess the invasion of lower airway during swallowing in patients with OPHL using FEES. The study represents the first attempt to define standard tools to assess swallowing functional outcome in this population