CPAs And Electronic Survey Media

Gathering and utilizing data about customers and other stakeholders has become vital to maintaining competitiveness in today’s business world. With the ongoing expansion of the Internet, new methods for data collection are available. The success of utilizing new methods depends on the technological capabilities of the audience from whom data are sought.  One group of business professionals perceived to possess above average technological skills is practicing Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). A study was designed to measure the response rates of CPAs to different survey administration methods. This study compares one traditional survey method (regular mail) with newer methods for collecting survey data (e-mail and WWW form)

The Relationship between Gut Microbiota and Respiratory Tract Infections in Childhood: A Narrative Review

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are common in childhood and represent one of the main causes of hospitalization in this population. In recent years, many studies have described the association between gut microbiota (GM) composition and RTIs in animal models. In particular, the “inter-talk” between GM and the immune system has recently been unveiled. However, the role of GM in human, and especially infantile, RTIs has not yet been fully established. In this narrative review we provide an up-to-date overview of the physiological pathways that explain how the GM shapes the immune system, potentially influencing the response to common childhood respiratory viral infections and compare studies analysing the relationship between GM composition and RTIs in children. Most studies provide evidence of GM dysbiosis, but it is not yet possible to identify a distinct bacterial signature associated with RTI predisposition. A better understanding of GM involvement in RTIs could lead to innovative integrated GM-based strategies for the prevention and treatment of RTIs in the paediatric population

From food waste to eco-friendly functionalized polymer composites: Investigation of orange peels as active filler

: The development of eco-friendly polymer composites with multifunctional properties aligns with the goals of the circular economy agenda, which aims to minimize waste and promote the sustainable use of resources by closing the loop of product life cycles. Eco-friendly polymer composites play a crucial role in achieving these objectives. The present work focuses on the preparation of fully biobased blends obtained by melt mixing a bio-polyester, poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA), with orange peels up to 20 wt%, to yield active polymer composites. Orange peels, employed here as natural filler, are largely available from food wastes, they are rich in phenolic compounds and possess antioxidant activity as shown by the experimental tests carried out. The thermal stability of the formulated composites is almost unchanged by the filler addition, showing only a slight decrease of the crystallization temperatures and crystalline fraction within the composites. The mechanical properties of the compounds evidence an increase in the elastic modulus together with a decrease in the tensile strength, while the elongation at break remains almost constant. The incorporation of the natural filler enabled the integration of antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which were absent in the original pristine polymer

Seismicity and Focal Mechanisms at the Calabro-Lucanian boundary along the Apennine chain (southern Italy)

The Calabro-Lucanian boundary is a complex geological zone marking the transition between the highly seismogenic tectonic domains of Southern Apennines and the Calabrian Arc. Historical catalogues include earthquakes with macroseismic effects up to VII-VIII MCS (CPTI WORKING GROUP, 2004) and paleoseismological investigations suggested that earthquakes of magnitude between 6.5 and 7 may have occurred in this area, between the 6th and the 15th century (MICHETTI et alii, 2000). More recently, on 9 September 1998, an earthquake of moment magnitude M5.6 occurred at the north-western margin of the Pollino massif (GUERRA et alii, 2005; ARRIGO et alii, 2006) and since the second half of 2010 the same region was interested by a noteworthy seismic activity characterized by several swarms with thousands of events with a maximum magnitude of 3.6

Olive Mill Wastewater Valorization in Multifunctional Biopolymer Composites for Antibacterial Packaging Application

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is the aqueous waste derived from the production of virgin olive oil. OMW typically contains a wide range of phenol-type molecules, which are natural antioxidants and/or antibacterials. In order to exploit the bioactive molecules and simultaneously decrease the environmental impact of such a food waste stream, OMW has been intercalated into the host structure of ZnAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) and employed as an integrative filler for the preparation of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) composites by in situ polymerization. From the view point of the polymer continuous phase as well as from the side of the hybrid filler, an investigation was performed in terms of molecular and morphological characteristics by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD); also, the thermal and mechanical properties were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMTA). Antibacterial properties have been assessed against a Gram-positive and a Gram-negative bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively, as representatives of potential agents of foodborne illnesses

Impact of comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation on anxiety and depression in hospitalized COPD patients.

To prospectively evaluate the effect of inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (iPR) on anxiety and depression as outcome measures in patients with COPD, we studied 149 consecutive adults COPD referred to our iPR after an exacerbation. Patients were divided according to the GOLD staging into: Group 1 (stage 2a, n = 48, FEV1 63 +/- 9% pred.), Group 2 (stage 2b, n = 53, FEV1 42 +/- 6% pred.) and Group 3 (stage 3, n = 48, FEV1 25 +/- 7% pred.). The iPR consisted of twelve 3-hours daily sessions. Hospital Anxiety Depression (HAD) Scale as well as 6-minute walk (6MWD) with evaluation of dyspnea (D) and leg fatigue (F) at rest and end of effort, and health related quality of life by means of St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were assessed before (T0) and after (T1) the iPR. 6MWD, D and F at end of effort and SGRQ total score similarly improved (p < 0.001) in all groups after iPR. The mean level of HAD-anxiety (from 9.1 +/- 4.0 to 7.7 +/- 3.5, from 9.0 +/- 4.6 to 7.2 +/- 4.6 and from 8.1 +/- 4.1 to 6.7 +/- 4.3 in group 1,2 and 3 respectively) and HAD-depression (from 9.4 +/- 3.5 to 8.2 +/- 3.5, from 9.1 +/- 4.2 to 8.2 +/- 4.5 and from 9.0 +/- 4.0 to 7.4 +/- 4.5 respectively) similarly changed (p < 0.0001) over time in all groups. The total percentage of patients with abnormal score (> 10) of HAD-anxiety (from 31% to 21%) and HAD-depression (from 30% to 22%) significantly decreased (p < 0.05) after the iPR. Inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation may improve levels of anxiety and depression as well as symptoms, exercise capacity and health related quality of life in moderate to severe COPD patients after an acute exacerbation

Stringy K-theory and the Chern character

For a finite group G acting on a smooth projective variety X, we construct two new G-equivariant rings: first the stringy K-theory of X, and second the stringy cohomology of X. For a smooth Deligne-Mumford stack Y we also construct a new ring called the full orbifold K-theory of Y. For a global quotient Y=[X/G], the ring of G-invariants of the stringy K-theory of X is a subalgebra of the full orbifold K-theory of the the stack Y and is linearly isomorphic to the ``orbifold K-theory'' of Adem-Ruan (and hence Atiyah-Segal), but carries a different, ``quantum,'' product, which respects the natural group grading. We prove there is a ring isomorphism, the stringy Chern character, from stringy K-theory to stringy cohomology, and a ring homomorphism from full orbifold K-theory to Chen-Ruan orbifold cohomology. These Chern characters satisfy Grothendieck-Riemann-Roch for etale maps. We prove that stringy cohomology is isomorphic to Fantechi and Goettsche's construction. Since our constructions do not use complex curves, stable maps, admissible covers, or moduli spaces, our results simplify the definitions of Fantechi-Goettsche's ring, of Chen-Ruan's orbifold cohomology, and of Abramovich-Graber-Vistoli's orbifold Chow. We conclude by showing that a K-theoretic version of Ruan's Hyper-Kaehler Resolution Conjecture holds for symmetric products. Our results hold both in the algebro-geometric category and in the topological category for equivariant almost complex manifolds.Comment: Exposition improved and additional details provided. To appear in Inventiones Mathematica

Selective Disruption of Perineuronal Nets in Mice Lacking Crtl1 is Sufficient to Make Fear Memories Susceptible to Erasure

The ability to store, retrieve, and extinguish memories of adverse experiences is an essential skill for animals' survival. The cellular and molecular factors that underlie such processes are only partially known. Using chondroitinase ABC treatment targeting chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), previous studies showed that the maturation of the extracellular matrix makes fear memory resistant to deletion. Mice lacking the cartilage link protein Crtl1 (Crtl1-KO mice) display normal CSPG levels but impaired CSPG condensation in perineuronal nets (PNNs). Thus, we asked whether the presence of PNNs in the adult brain is responsible for the appearance of persistent fear memories by investigating fear extinction in Crtl1-KO mice. We found that mutant mice displayed fear memory erasure after an extinction protocol as revealed by analysis of freezing and pupil dynamics. Fear memory erasure did not depend on passive loss of retention; moreover, we demonstrated that, after extinction training, conditioned Crtl1-KO mice display no neural activation in the amygdala (Zif268 staining) in comparison to control animals. Taken together, our findings suggest that the aggregation of CSPGs into PNNs regulates the boundaries of the critical period for fear extinction

Increased risk of acquisition of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant enterobacterales (Ndm-cre) among a cohort of covid-19 patients in a teaching hospital in Tuscany, Italy

We describe the epidemiology of New Delhi Metallo-Beta-Lactamase-Producing Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (NDM-CRE) colonization/infection in a cohort of COVID-19 patients in an Italian teaching hospital. These patients had an increased risk of NDM-CRE acquisition versus the usual patients (75.9 vs. 25.3 cases/10,000 patient days). The co-infection significantly increased the duration of hospital stay (32.9 vs. 15.8 days)

Cohomology of bundles on homological Hopf manifold

We discuss the properties of complex manifolds having rational homology of $S^1 \times S^{2n-1}$ including those constructed by Hopf, Kodaira and Brieskorn-van de Ven. We extend certain previously known vanishing properties of cohomology of bundles on such manifolds.As an application we consider degeneration of Hodge-deRham spectral sequence in this non Kahler setting.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of 2007 conference on Several complex variables and Complex Geometry. Xiamen. Chin