A method for modeling dispersed settlements: visualizing an early Roman colonial landscape as expected by conventional theory

This paper proposes a GIS quantitative method for simulating dispersed distribution of sites in a landscape. A certain number of sites might have escaped archaeological detection due to the adverse surface visibility conditions experienced during field survey (the so-called missing sites). As regards early Roman colonial landscapes of central-southern Italy, these surface visibility factors were traditionally seen to be so dramatic as to have allegedly hampered the detection of the conventionally expected dispersed and densely-settled colonial farm landscape. In this paper the regional and site-oriented field survey conducted in Venosa (Basilicata, Italy) is used as a case-study to simulate a large amount of hypothetical early colonial sites. The aim of this theoretical exercise is to show how the rural dispersed settlement pattern expected by the conventional theory could appear on a map, and to visually highlight the divergence between survey data and conventional spatial expectancies

Optimization of the sensor support prototype for the alignment of components in the High Luminosity LHC

openIn the context of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) project at CERN, studies presented in this document describe the validation process of the sensor support prototype that will be implemented in the Full Remote Alignment System (FRAS). The validation process is based on a series of tests that aim to verify if the sensor support meets the requirements according to the functional specifications, and is therefore suitable to be installed in the accelerators tunnel, where the upgrades for HL-LHC will take place. The test series provided satisfying results in all the analyzed fields, ranging from technical and mechanical aspects to the design of the components, but also offered the base for several design optimizations that have been developed to improve the prototype. The sensor support prototype has been validated and will be produced with the proposed modifications in a pre-series production for two test installations. The final series will be implemented together with all other components of the FRAS between 2025 and 2027 on the accelerator components of the HL-LHC tunnel.In the context of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) project at CERN, studies presented in this document describe the validation process of the sensor support prototype that will be implemented in the Full Remote Alignment System (FRAS). The validation process is based on a series of tests that aim to verify if the sensor support meets the requirements according to the functional specifications, and is therefore suitable to be installed in the accelerators tunnel, where the upgrades for HL-LHC will take place. The test series provided satisfying results in all the analyzed fields, ranging from technical and mechanical aspects to the design of the components, but also offered the base for several design optimizations that have been developed to improve the prototype. The sensor support prototype has been validated and will be produced with the proposed modifications in a pre-series production for two test installations. The final series will be implemented together with all other components of the FRAS between 2025 and 2027 on the accelerator components of the HL-LHC tunnel

A randomized controlled trial for neonatal suctioning in a low-resource setting delivery room: a comparison between penguin and catheter

openABSTRACT Background: evidence from literature showed that suctioning should be offered to newborn infants who have obvious obstruction to spontaneous breathing or who require positive pressure ventilation. In these cases, international guidelines recommend the use of a penguin suction device or a suction catheter in newborn infants needing suctioning at birth, but they do not provide any information on clinical differences between the two procedures. Objectives: this trial aims to compare two different methods of oropharyngeal suctioning (with penguin suction device or suction catheter) in newborn infants needing suctioning at birth. The primary outcome measure was oxygen saturation during the first 10 minutes of life. Materials and methods: the study was conducted from August to October 2021 and from June to September 2022 at the St. Luke Catholic Hospital, Wolisso (Ethiopia), a non-profit, referral, private, level III hospital with around 3,600 deliveries per year. This was a single center, prospective, randomized clinical trial comparing two different methods of oropharyngeal suctioning (with bulb syringe/penguin or suction catheter). Sixty-one neonates, term and preterm, were enrolled. Inclusion criteria included neonates of any gestational age, need for oronasopharyngeal suctioning and parental consent. Immediately after birth, all infants needing suctioning were randomized to receive suctioning with bulb syringe/penguin or suction catheter. All resuscitative procedures were performed following the Help Babies Breathe algorithm. An external observer, not involved in the care of the newborn, was responsible of the positioning of the pulse oximeter probe and the data collection, first among all oxygen saturation and heart rate. Results: 61 patients were enrolled in the trial (31 in electrical arm and 30 in the manual arm). The oxygen saturation increases over time in both arms (p < 0.0001), with the same slope (p = 0.7728). The heart rate increases over time in both arms (p < 0.0001), with no different slope (p = 0.0989). Admission to special care unit is more frequent in electrical vs. manual arm (61% vs. 33%, p = 0.0288). Conclusions: there was no difference between the two methods. This could lead to choose the manual suction in a low-resource setting in order to optimize the resources available. Since the midwives could not be masked to the study intervention and since they were more trained in performing manual suction, further studies should be conducted in order to confirm the results. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov with identifier: NCT05472155

Digitising Legacy Field Survey Data:A Methodological Approach Based on Student Internships

In the Mediterranean, field survey has been the most widely used method to detect archaeological sites in arable fields since the 1970s. Through survey, data about the state of preservation of ancient settlements have been extensively mapped by archaeologists over large rural landscapes using paper media (e.g., topographical maps) or GPS and GIS technologies. These legacy data are unique and irreplaceable for heritage management in landscape planning, territorial monitoring of cultural resources, and spatial data analysis to study past settlement patterns in academic research (especially in landscape archaeology). However, legacy data are at risk due to often improper digital curation and the dramatic land transformation that is affecting several regions. To access this vast knowledge production and allow for its dissemination, this paper presents a method based on student internships in data digitisation to review, digitise, and integrate archaeological primary survey data. A pilot study for Central&ndash;Southern Italy and the Iberian Peninsula exemplifies how the method works in practice. It is concluded that there are clear benefits for cultural resource management, academic research, and the students themselves. This method can thus help us to achieve large-scale collection, digitisation, integration, accessibility, and reuse of field survey datasets, as well as compare survey data on a supranational scale

The perception of reproducibility in a small cohort of scientists in Europe

Reproducibility is an essential feature of all scientific outcomes. Scientific evidence can only reach its true status as reliable if replicated, but the results of well-conducted replication studies face an uphill battle to be performed, and little attention and dedication have been put into publishing the results of replication attempts. Therefore, we asked a small cohort of researchers about their attempts to replicate results from other groups, as well as from their own laboratories, and their general perception of the issues concerning reproducibility in their field. We also asked how they perceive the venues, i.e. journals, to communicate and discuss the results of these attempts. To this aim we pre-registered and shared a questionnaire among scientists at diverse levels. The results indicate that, in general, replication attempts of their own protocols are quite successful (with over 80% reporting not or rarely having problems with their own protocols). Although the majority of respondents tried to replicate a study or experiment from other labs (75.4%), the median successful rate was scored at 3 (in a 1-5 scale), while the median for the general estimation of replication success in their field was found to be 5 (in a 1-10 scale). The majority of respondents (70.2%) also perceive journals as unwelcoming of replication studies.Peer reviewe

A platform for reproducibility

This is an open editorial about the issues on reproducibility and the current publication system that led us to launch the Journal for Reproduciblity in Neuroscience.Non peer reviewe

3D mapping of the SPRY2 domain of ryanodine receptor 1 by single-particle Cryo-EM

The type 1 skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RyR1) is principally responsible for Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and for the subsequent muscle contraction. The RyR1 contains three SPRY domains. SPRY domains are generally known to mediate protein-protein interactions, however the location of the three SPRY domains in the 3D structure of the RyR1 is not known. Combining immunolabeling and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy we have mapped the SPRY2 domain (S1085-V1208) in the 3D structure of RyR1 using three different antibodies against the SPRY2 domain. Two obstacles for the image processing procedure; limited amount of data and signal dilution introduced by the multiple orientations of the antibody bound in the tetrameric RyR1, were overcome by modifying the 3D reconstruction scheme. This approach enabled us to ascertain that the three antibodies bind to the same region, to obtain a 3D reconstruction of RyR1 with the antibody bound, and to map SPRY2 to the periphery of the cytoplasmic domain of RyR1. We report here the first 3D localization of a SPRY2 domain in any known RyR isoform.The authors want to thank the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Biomedical Research Institute (to MS), the Australian National Health and the Medical Research Council (471418 to AD, MC and PB), and the European Commission (Marie Curie Action PIOF-GA-2009-237120 to AP-M)

BDNF receptor TrkB as the mediator of the antidepressant drug action

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling through its receptor TrkB has for a long time been recognized as a critical mediator of the antidepressant drug action, but BDNF signaling has been considered to be activated indirectly through the action of typical and rapid-acting antidepressants through monoamine transporters and glutamate NMDA receptors, respectively. However, recent findings demonstrate that both typical and the fast-acting antidepressants directly bind to TrkB and thereby allosterically potentiate BDNF signaling, suggesting that TrkB is the direct target for antidepressant drugs. Increased TrkB signaling particularly in the parvalbumin-expressing interneurons orchestrates iPlasticity, a state of juvenile-like enhanced plasticity in the adult brain. iPlasticity sensitizes neuronal networks to environmental influences, enabling rewiring of networks miswired by adverse experiences. These findings have dramatically changed the position of TrkB in the antidepressant effects and they propose a new end-to-end model of the antidepressant drug action. This model emphasizes the enabling role of antidepressant treatment and the active participation of the patient in the process of recovery from mood disorders.Peer reviewe

Effects of educational sessions on school backpack use among elementary school students

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a modificação na quantidade de carga transportada, o modelo e o modo de transportar mochilas escolares após sessões educativas. MÉTODOS: Estudo de uma série de casos, com 99 crianças de sete a 11 anos do ensino fundamental, em escola particular da cidade São Paulo, São Paulo. Foram avaliadas a massa corporal (kg) e estatura dos alunos (cm), quantidade de carga transportada nas mochilas (kg). Os modelos e os modos de transporte das mochilas foram avaliados por filmagem pré e pós-intervenção. Como medida de intervenção, os sujeitos (crianças, pais e professores) foram submetidos a uma sessão educativa, que consistiu de orientações teóricas sobre coluna vertebral e transporte de carga. Para os escolares foi adicionada orientação prática das posturas corretas no transporte de carga. Os escolares receberam um reforço prático mensal por três meses. Pais e professores receberam reforço em folheto informativo e orientações na homepage da escola. Os dados foram analisados pelos testes estatísticos de igualdade de duas proporções e Wilcoxon. O nível de significância adotado foi 5%. RESULTADOS: O modelo de mochila modificou para duas alças de 46,5% para 60,6% (p=0,046), modo de transporte para ombro bilateral de 41,4% para 55,6% (p=0,047). A carga transportada nas mochilas diminuiu 2,66kg (p<0,001) e a relação massa corporal do sujeito e carga transportada nas mochilas diminuiu 7%. Na modificação por categorias, o número de alunos do grupo inadequado (carga transportada>15% da massa corporal do aluno) diminuiu (p<0,001). CONCLUSÕES: As sessões educativas promoveram mudanças na utilização de mochilas, revelando adesão satisfatória ao modelo de intervenção proposto entre os escolares e o importante papel da Fisioterapia na saúde escolar.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the changes in loads carried, in the model of backpack used and in the way of carrying school backpacks after the implementation of an educational program. METHODS: This study was performed on 99 children aged seven to 11 years at elementary school level in a private school in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. The subjects' body mass (kg) and height (cm) and the loads carried in their backpacks (kg) were evaluated. The backpack models and the ways of carrying them were evaluated by filming before and after the intervention. The intervention program consisted of educational sessions offered to the children, parents and teachers. The sessions involved lectures about the spine and about the principles of load carrying. The children also received practical guidance relating to correct postures for load carrying. The children received monthly practical reinforcement for three months. The parents and teachers received reinforcement by means of information flyers and guidance on the school's home page. The data were analyzed by means of two-proportion equality and Wilcoxon statistical tests. The significance level was considered as &#945;=0.05. RESULTS: The use of a two-strap backpack model increased from 46.5% to 60.6% (p=0.046) and carrying it on two shoulders increased from 41.4% to 55.6% (p=0.047). The load carried in the backpacks decreased by 2.66kg (p<0.001) and the ratio between the subject's body mass and the load carried in the backpacks decreased by 7%. With regard to change per category, the number of subjects in the inappropriate group (load carried>15% of the subject's body mass) decreased (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The educational sessions promoted changes in backpack use and it was observed a satisfactory adherence to the intervention program proposed. These results demonstrate the importance of Physical Therapy educational programs in schoolchildren's health