On the estimation of the Lorenz curve under complex sampling designs

This paper focuses on the estimation of the concentration curve of a finite population, when data are collected according to a complex sampling design with different inclusion probabilities. A (design-based) Hajek type estimator for the Lorenz curve is proposed, and its asymptotic properties are studied. Then, a resampling scheme able to approximate the asymptotic law of the Lorenz curve estimator is constructed. Applications are given to the construction of (i) a confidence band for the Lorenz curve, (ii) confidence intervals for the Gini concentration ratio, and (iii) a test for Lorenz dominance. The merits of the proposed resampling procedure are evaluated through a simulation study

Five year retrospective study on Syphilis in the Sexual Transmitted Disease (STD) centre of the teaching hospital Umberto I in Rome

Objectives: A retrospective study describing syphilis epidemiological and clinical features in patients referring to an infectious diseases centre in Rome, Italy. Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2015 demographic, behavioral and clinical data were collected from all adult patients attending the Sexual Transmitted Disease Centre of the Teaching Hospital Umberto I in Rome. Results: Overall 723 patients, 495 males and 228 females, with syphilis infection diagnosis were included. Average age 39.6 ± 13.6 years (median 38) was higher in men than women (41.1 ± 13.6 vs. 36.3 ± 13.1; p<0.001). Patients were from Italy (486 or 67.2%), EU (90 or 12.4%), rest of Europe (38 or 5.3 %), Americas (46 or 6.4%), Africa (36 or 5.0%) and Asia (27 or 3.7%). One-hundred-twenty-three (17.0%) presented primary syphilis, 43 (5.9%) secondary syphilis, 8 (1.1%) tertiary syphilis, 246 (34.0%) serological syphilis, 80 (11.1%) preceding syphilis, 56 (7.7%) gravidic syphilis and 167 (23.1%) came to the STD to control a preceding syphilis treatment. Fifty-six (24.6%) women were diagnosed with syphilis during their pregnancies. Among Chinese female patients, those pregnant represented 87.5%. There were 100 subjects (13.8%) simultaneously HIV+ and 623 (86.2%) HIV- patients. HIV co-infection affected more frequently men (RR 5.30; CI 2.62 – 10.72; p<0.001). In males HIV co-infection affected more frequently homosexuals (RR 11.72; CI 6.72 – 20.45; p<0.001). Overall HIV co-infection affected more frequently foreign patients, specially from the Americas (26.1%), Africa (25.7%) and Asia (22.2%). Conclusions: A serious problem of “gravidic syphilis” suggests the need for Public Health preventive action. Also an early diagnosis of both syphilis and HIV infection should be reinforced

Mucosa-Environment Interactions in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Mucosal surfaces play a central role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Several risk factors, such as cigarette smoking, environmental pollution, and periodontitis interact with the host at the mucosal level, triggering immune system activation. Moreover, the alteration of microbiota homeostasis is gaining increased attention for its involvement in the disease pathogenesis, modulating the immune cell response at a local and subsequently at a systemic level. Currently, the onset of the clinical manifest arthritis is thought to be the last step of a series of pathogenic events lasting years. The positivity for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) and rheumatoid factor (RF), in absence of symptoms, characterizes a preclinical phase of RA namely systemic autoimmune phase- which is at high risk for disease progression. Several immune abnormalities, such as local ACPA production, increased T cell polarization towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype, and innate immune cell activation can be documented in at-risk subjects. Many of these abnormalities are direct consequences of the interaction between the environment and the host, which takes place at the mucosal level. The purpose of this review is to describe the humoral and cellular immune abnormalities detected in subjects at risk of RA, highlighting their origin from the mucosa environment interaction

Identification of key events and emissions during thermal abuse testing on NCA 18650 cells

Thermal abuse of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) leads to the emission of gases, solids, fires and/or explosions. Therefore, it is essential to define the temperatures at which key events occur (i.e., CID activation, venting, and thermal runaway (TR)) and to identify the related emissions for identifying the hazards to which people and especially rescue teams are exposed. For this purpose, thermal abuse tests were performed on commercial lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) 18650 cells at 50% state of charge in a reactor connected to an FT-IR spectrometer by varying test conditions (feed gas of N2 or air; heating rates of 5 or 10 °C/min until 300 °C). In particular, the concentrations of the gases and the composition of the condensed-phase emissions were estimated. As regards gases, a high concentration (1695 ppmv) of hydrofluoric acid (HF) was measured, while the emissions of condensed matter consisted of organic compounds such as polyethylene oxide and paraffin oil, and inorganic compounds containing Li (0.173 mg/m3) and Al (0.344 mg/m3). The main safety concerns were caused by the temperatures (564 ± 85 °C) reached by the cell during TR, by the HF concentration which exceeded the toxicity limits of 30 ppm, the IDLH defined by the NIOSH, and the diameter of the particles (1.54 ± 0.69 μm) that rose the PM2.5 concentration. These results are also useful for identifying personal protection equipment for rescue teams

Eating in extreme environment: diet of the European hare (Lepus europaeus) on Vesuvius

The European hare (Lepus europaeus) is cosmopolitan species, living in a variety of habitats and showing a diversified diet, that has been described mainly from agricultural meadows and crops, with little information available for extreme environments. Here, we describe, for the first time, the diet of the European hare from Mount Vesuvius, using DNA metabarcoding and high- throughput sequencing on DNA extracted from faecal pellets, a proxy for a population living in a volcanic environment. The DNA from pellets was first genetically assigned to European hare using high-resolution melting analysis. The diet of the hare on Vesuvius is mainly composed of herbaceous species belonging to Fabaceae (86.26% of total diet). The most frequent plant items ingested by the species are Galega officinalis and Lupinus angustifolius (67.10% of total diet), although these are detected only sporadically in the study area. Indeed, the spectrum of available plants also includes other easily accessible wild (i.e. Lolium sp., Bromus sp., Rumex sp.) and cultivated (i.e. Solanum lycopersicum, Cucumis melo, Pisum sativum) plant items, found only in traces in the diet of the hares. Our contribution adds information on the trophic ecology of the European hare, exploring its ability to live in an extreme environment. This could be useful to set a management strategy for conservation of the species, which is ecologically relevant on Vesuvius as prey for birds and mammals, as well as a vegetation modulator via selective grazing by endozoochory. Furthermore, our study represents the latest information on the diet of the hare living in an environment that no longer exists: an extensive fire destroyed about 80% of the woody area after our sampling. The post-fire regrowth is transforming the original environment and consequently the trophic availability for the European hare

Digital libraries and users : an Italian experience. Changes in academic users' attitudes, perceptions and usage of study and research tools in a hybrid context

The goal of this study is to measure the changes in scholarly journals usage in the Italian academic context. In order to meet our goals a survey was conducted based on a on-line questionnaire (1,305 respondents). The final results of this study clearly show the existence of four different categories of users (midway innovators, midway traditionalists, full innovators and full traditionalists), each category represents a different approach to digital library service

Digital libraries and users : an Italian experience. Changes in academic users' attitudes, perceptions and usage of study and research tools in a hybrid context

The goal of this study is to measure the changes in scholarly journals usage in the Italian academic context. In order to meet our goals a survey was conducted based on a on-line questionnaire (1,305 respondents). The final results of this study clearly show the existence of four different categories of users (midway innovators, midway traditionalists, full innovators and full traditionalists), each category represents a different approach to digital library service

Social sustainability of visual accessibility’s project in domestic environments

The accessibility of spaces, facilities and services is one of the essential requirements of contemporary models that, in the ethics of a proper inclusive design, undertake important strategies for the realization of socially sustainable architectures with a consequent achievement of greater environmental quality and enhancement of public goods. In this context some Institutes of Friuli Venezia Giulia are working (ref. Regional Council of Associations of Persons with Disabilities and their Families of FVG). They, in collaboration with some Courses of Architecture of the University of Udine and Trieste, have start lines of applied research aimed to promoting the culture of inclusion. Here, is particular the participatory process developed in the design of multisensory accessibility; this essay describes the research context for proposing an interpretation of the potentialities and strengths that a careful design on sense-perceptual deficits can makes to the design of Social Housing spaces