Deep Water Archaeology in Italy and in the Tyrrhenian Sea

The paper presents the history of the research in Deep water archaeology in Italy and the recent activities carried out by Fondazione Azionemare in collaboration with the Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici of the Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Through a preliminary presentation of some shipwrecks dated to the Roman period, discovered by the Fondazione Azionemare and investigated, thanks also the photogrammetry, with the archaeologists of the Venetian university, the article analysis the characteristics and the potentialities of these contexts which present an excellent level of conservation

Evaluation of in vitro neurotoxicity of methyl mercury, PCB153 and PCB126

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Astrocytes protect against diazinon- and diazoxon-induced inhibition of neurite outgrowth by regulating neuronal glutathione

Evidence demonstrating that human exposure to various organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) is associated with neurobehavioral deficits in children continues to emerge. The present study focused on diazinon (DZ) and its active oxygen metabolite, diazoxon (DZO), and explored their ability to impair neurite outgrowth in rat primary hippocampal neurons as a mechanism of developmental neurotoxicity. Both DZ and DZO (0.5-10. μM) significantly inhibited neurite outgrowth in hippocampal neurons, at concentrations devoid of any cyototoxicity. These effects appeared to be mediated by oxidative stress, as they were prevented by antioxidants (melatonin, N-t-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone, and glutathione ethyl ester). Inhibition of neurite outgrowth was observed at concentrations below those required to inhibit the catalytic activity of acetylcholinesterase. The presence of astrocytes in the culture was able to provide protection against inhibition of neurite outgrowth by DZ and DZO. Astrocytes increased neuronal glutathione (GSH) in neurons, to levels comparable to those of GSH ethyl ester. Astrocytes depleted of GSH by l-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine no longer conferred protection against DZ- and DZO-induced inhibition of neurite outgrowth. The findings indicate that DZ and DZO inhibit neurite outgrowth in hippocampal neurons by mechanisms involving oxidative stress, and that these effects can be modulated by astrocytes and astrocyte-derived GSH. Oxidative stress from other chemical exposures, as well as genetic abnormalities that result in deficiencies in GSH synthesis and regulation, may render individuals more susceptible to these developmental neurotoxic effects of OPs. © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd

Covered self-expandable metal stents for pancreatic duct stricture: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and study aims Placement of a covered (C)-self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) has been recently investigated as an alternative endoscopic treatment for main pancreatic duct stricture (MPDS) in chronic pancreatitis. Our aim was to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies quantifying efficacy and safety of C-SEMSs in the management of MPDS.Methods A multiple database search was performed, including MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library, from January 2000 to September 2020, to identify studies reporting the efficacy and safety of C-SEMSs in patients with MPDS. Stricture and pain resolution were investigated. Other outcomes included technical success, stent migration, stricture recurrence and need for repeated stent placement. Pancreatitis, severe abdominal pain requiring stent removal and de-novo stricture were recorded as complications.Results Nineteen studies were identified, which included a total of 300 patients. C-SEMSs showed a pooled stricture resolution rate of 91 % [95 % confidence interval (CI), 85 %-96 %] and a pooled pain resolution rate of 92 % (95 % CI, 85 %-98 %). The pooled proportion for stricture recurrence was equal to 6 % (95 % CI, 1 %-14 %), while stent migration occurred in 33 of 300 patients, the pooled proportion being 7 % (95 % CI 1 %-15 %). The pooled mean stent duration was 133 days (95 % CI, 100-166 days). The most common complication was pancreatitis (3 %, 95 % CI 0 %-8 %), while de-novo stricture pooled proportion was 2 % (95 % CI, 0 %-5 %).Conclusions C-SEMSs are effective and safe in the treatment of MPDS. However, there is a significant need for further high-quality, well-designed studies to produce evidence-based data on short and long-term efficacy, safety, costs of C-SEMSs, and also optimal stent duration

Lung volumes of extreme breath-hold divers

Achievements in breath-hold diving depend, amongst others, on body oxygen stores at start of dive. A diver with very high lung volumes could increase dive's duration, and attain deeper depths for a given speed. Thus, we hypothesized that extreme breath-hold divers have very high lung volumes. On eight extreme breathhold divers (age 35 + 4 years, height 179 + 7 cm, body mass 76 + 6 kg) and 9 non-diving controls (age 37 + 6 years, height 177 + 4 cm, body mass 81 + 9 kg) residual volume, vital capacity and total lung capacity (TLC) were measured with a body plethysmograph. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were measured with a spirometer. Peak expiratory flow and flow-volume loops were measured with a pneumotachograph. In divers, but not in controls, volumes and capacities were systematically and significantly (p<0.01, paired t-test) higher than predicted from their body size. Consistently, volumes and capacities were significantly higher in divers than in controls, except for residual volume. Divers' TLC was 22% higher than predicted, and 21% higher than in controls. All divers' TLC was higher than 8 L, two had it higher than 9 L. FVC and FEV1 were significantly higher in divers than in controls. The FEV1/FVC ratio was the same in both groups. We conclude that extreme breath-hold divers may constitute a niche population with physiological characteristics different from those of normal individuals, facilitating the achievement of excellent diving performance

Compentências (resíduais, remanescentes) dos estados-membros: limites (teoria dos poderes implícitos) e vedações

Analisar com componentes históricos e atuais, o sistema federativo brasileiro, na qual inserido nesse conjunto de característica está as repartição de competências. Essa repartição envolve todos os entes da federação, um desses entes é os Estados-membros e eles também exercem atribuições das quais para se chegar a elas devemos fazer um técnica de exclusão, ou seja, tudo que é sobra de atribuição não elencada aos outros entes, caberá aos Estados-membros atuar. Disserta sobre toda surgimento dos federalismos e depois como ele se apresenta no Brasil. Conclui que ele ainda necessita de novos pensamentos contemporâneos e inseridos pela Constituição Federal de 1988. Transcreve com julgamentos da Suprema Corte brasileira como é limita e vedada a atuação dos Estados-membros, pois fica demonstrada o tamanho mínimo da atual de atribuições dirigidas ao Estados-membros, das quais são classificadas como competências residuais ou remanescente

A realistic simulation environment as a teaching aid in educational robotics

The experimental component is an essential method in Engineering education. Sometimes the availability of laboratories and components is compromised, and the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the situation. Resorting to an accurate simulation seems to help this process by allowing students to develop the work, program, test, and validate it. Moreover, it lowers the development time and cost of the prototyping stages of a robotics project. As a multidisciplinary area, robotics requires simulation environments with essential characteristics, such as dynamics, connection to hardware (embedded systems), and other applications. Thus, this paper presents the Simulation environment of SimTwo, emphasizing previous publications with models of sensors, actuators, and simulation scenes. The simulator can be used for free, and the source code is available to the community. Proposed scenes and examples can inspire the development of other simulation scenes to be used in electrical and mechanical Engineering projects. © 2022 IEEE.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CeDRI (UIDB/05757/2020 and UIDP/05757/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). Thadeu Brito was supported by FCT PhD grant SFRH/BD/08598/2020 and Joao Braun received the ˜ support of a fellowship from ”la Caixa” Foundation (ID 100010434) with code LCF/BQ/DI20/11780028.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio