PALEOMAGNETIC AND PALYNOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS IN THE UPPER VALDARNO BASIN (CENTRAL ITALY): CALIBRATION OF AN EARLY VILLAFRANCHIAN FAUNA

The silty clays embedding an early Villafranchian mammal fauna of the Triversa faunal unit (f.u.) have been paleomagnetically and palynologically studied in a continuous sequence exposed in the Santa Barbara quarry.The study has allowed to date the earliest occurrence in Italy of a faunal assemblage of this unit and to define the corresponding climatic conditions. The sampled section has provided a magnetic polarity sequence of the late Gauss,where the fossiliferous layer fits the Kaena reversed interval.Its age of ca. 3.1 Ma,during subtropical climate conditions correlatable to the Reuverian of Netherlands, suggests an older age for the beginning of the Villafranchian, possibly associated to a more dramatic scenario able to trigger the faunal turnover. &nbsp

DEER FAUNA FROM THE AULLA QUARRY (VAL DI MAGRA, NORTHERN APENNINES). BIOCHRONOLOGICAL REMARKS

The occurrence in the continental deposits of Aulla quarry of deer characteristic of Early Villafranchian fauna, referred to Procapreolus cusanus and Pseudodama ex gr. pardinensis-lyra, is reported. These finds make questionable the correlation of the sedimentary succession to the Early Pliocene, based on the pollen assemblage

Selection of Co-Substrate and Aeration Conditions for Vanillin Production by Escherichia coli JM109/pBB1

Yeast extract, Luria-Bertani medium and tryptone were tested as co-substrates for vanillin production from ferulic acid by resting cells of Escherichia coli JM109/pBB1. Yeast extract proved to be the best component for sustaining such a bioconversion, which is not self-sustained from the bioenergetic point of view. Tests were also performed under variable aeration conditions by simultaneously varying the ratio of medium to vessel volume and the agitation speed. The results of these tests suggest that, under excess aeration, a non-specific oxidase activity was very likely responsible for the oxidation of a significant portion of vanillin to vanillic acid, thus reducing the vanillin yield

Estimating Galaxy Parameters with Self-Organizing Maps and the Effect of Missing Data

The current and upcoming large data volume galaxy surveys require the use of machine learning techniques to maximize their scientific return. This study explores the use of Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) to estimate galaxy parameters with a focus on handling cases of missing data and providing realistic probability distribution functions for the parameters. We train a SOM with a simulated mass-limited lightcone assuming a ugrizYJHKs+IRAC dataset, mimicking the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Deep joint dataset. For parameter estimation, we derive SOM likelihood surfaces considering photometric errors to derive total (statistical and systematic) uncertainties. We explore the effects of missing data including which bands are particular critical to the accuracy of the derived parameters. We demonstrate that the parameter recovery is significantly better when the missing bands are "filled-in" rather than if they are completely omitted. We propose a practical method for such recovery of missing data.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

Estado del arte de los estudios sobre la seguridad que poseen los asistentes de voz domóticos como son Alexa o Google Home

En la actualidad el manejo de los asistentes de voz domóticos Alexa o google home han tenido un incremento por su versatilidad para realizar tareas, además de interactuar con los usuarios y otros dispositivos del hogar, esto puede generar problemas que afecten a la seguridad. Este documento desarrolla un estado del arte sobre seguridad de los asistentes de voz, mediante las metodologías de mapeo sistemático y revisión sistemática de la literatura, para la recopilación de estudios relevantes en varios repositorios digitales entre los años 2017 al 2021, que se encuentren focalizados en ataques, vulnerabilidades y contramedidas que presentan estos dispositivos. Dentro de la clasificación de ataques, los aspectos como: confidencialidad, integridad y disponibilidad son los más afectados. Los ataques como: voice squatting, voice masquerading, eavesdropping, tampering entre otros. Se presentan como las agresiones con más concurrencia en la revisión de estudios realizados. Por el lado de las vulnerabilidades se encontró que las perspectivas a tomar en cuenta son: hardware, usuarios, autentificaciones, actualizaciones de software y market application; como los posibles caminos para quebrar las seguridades de los asistentes de voz domóticos. De la misma forma se halló métodos como: machine learning con un 15%, simulación de ataques con un 12%, soporte de hardware con un 19%, Autentificación/software con un 23%, control de acceso con un 8%, cifrado y protocolos con un 23%, que ayudarán a tratar con posibles ataques.Currently, the management of home automation voice assistants Alexa or Google Home have had an increase due to their versatility to perform tasks, in addition to interacting with users and other devices in the home, this can generate problems that affect security. This document develops a state of the art on the security of voice assistants, through the methodologies of systematic mapping and systematic review of the literature, for the compilation of relevant studies in various digital repositories between the years 2017 and 2021, which are focused on attacks, vulnerabilities and countermeasures presented by these devices. Within the classification of attacks, aspects such as: confidentiality, integrity and availability are the most affected. Attacks such as: voice squatting, voice masquerading, eavesdropping, tampering among others. It is presented as the aggressions with the most concurrence in the review of studies carried out. On the vulnerability side, it was found that the perspectives to be taken into account are: hardware, users, authentications, software updates and market application; as the possible ways to break the security of home automation voice assistants. In the same way, methods were found such as: machine learning with 15%, attack simulation with 12%, hardware support with 19%, authentication/software with 23%, access control with 8%, recorded and protocols with 23%, which help to deal with possible attacks

L’adenocarcinoma dell’appendice ileo-ciecale: presentazione di un caso clinico e revisione della letteratura

L’adenocarcinoma dell’appendice ileo-ciecale è una neoplasia di rara osservazione rappresentando meno dello 0,5% di tutti i tumori dell’apparato gastrointestinale. Nella maggior parte dei casi viene diagnosticato all’esame istologico definitivo di un’appendice asportata per flogosi, talora invece rappresenta un reperto del tutto inatteso, documentato da biopsie estemporanee, in corso di intervento chirurgico eseguito per sospetta appendicite acuta o altra patologia non appendicolare. La storia naturale di tale neoplasia è fortemente condizionata dalle peculiari caratteristiche anatomiche del viscere che ne favoriscono la precoce diffusione e una notevole tendenza alla perforazione. Si associa frequentemente ad altre neoplasie primitive, sincrone o metacrone, a localizzazione colo-rettale o extraintestinale. Il trattamento chirurgico oncologicamente corretto è l’emicolectomia destra che può essere eseguita come prima procedura, nei casi in cui la neoplasia venga diagnosticata pre- o intraoperatoriamente, o come seconda procedura, due-tre settimane dopo l’appendicectomia, qualora soltanto l’esame istologico dell’appendice asportata riveli la presenza dell’adenocarcinoma. L’emicolectomia destra è il trattamento chirurgico più idoneo in tutti gli istotipi (colico, mucinoso, adenocarcinoide), in presenza di perforazione ed anche nelle neoplasie allo stadio A di Dukes. Durante l’atto operatorio è necessario effettuare un’accurata esplorazione della cavità addominale per la ricerca di neoplasie sincrone, mentre dopo l’intervento i pazienti dovranno essere sottoposti ad un follow-up regolare e prolungato nel tempo onde diagnosticare precocemente eventuali neoplasie metacrone. Riportiamo il caso di una donna di 78 anni con adenocarcinoma dell’appendice scoperto casualmente in corso di intervento chirurgico eseguito per un quadro di occlusione intestinale da sospetta neoplasia del cieco

Balancing mitigation policies during pandemics: economic, health, and environmental implications

The strategies implemented to contain the spread of COVID-19 have clearly shown the existence of a nontrivial relation between epidemiological and environmental outcomes. On the one hand, mitigation policy generates unclear pollution effects, since social distancing measures favor a reduction in industrial emissions while health regulations and recommendations contribute to increase it. On the other hand, increased pollution exposes individuals to a higher chance of severe symptoms increasing their probability of death due to respiratory diseases. In order to understand how balancing the different goals in the design of effective containment policies we develop a normative approach to account for their consequences on the economy, health and the environment by analyzing the working mechanisms of social distancing in a pollution-extended macroeconomic-epidemiological framework with healthenvironment feedback effects. By limiting social contacts and thus disease incidence, social distancing favors health and environmental outcomes at the cost of a deterioration inmacroeconomic conditions.We show that social distancing alone is not enough to reverse the growth pattern of both disease prevalence and pollution and thus it is optimal to reduce the disease spread even if this generates a deterioration in environmental conditions.We also extend our baseline model to account for the role of strategic interactions between neighbor economies in which both pollution and disease prevalence are transboundary. In this context we show that free-riding induces sizeable efficiency losses, quantifiable in about 5% excess disease prevalence and 10% excess pollution at the end of the epidemic management program in the case of only two interacting economies

Relationship between wind musical instruments and the stomatognatic system

Por la importancia que reviste ampliar los conocimientos del odontólogo en esta área, la presente revisión bibliográfica propone como objetivo resumir las modificaciones del sistema estomatognático que se presentan en músicos que practican instrumentos de viento. Dentro de las anomalías bucales que más abundan en la literatura se encuentran distonía focal, xerostomía, faringitis, queilitis angular, herpes labial y maloclusiones de una gran prevalencia e impacto, dentro de las más frecuentes registradas en este tipo de músicos se encuentran: el resalte aumentado, el apiñamiento y la adaquia. El resalte aumentado es consecuencia de la presión que ejerce la boquilla en la cara palatina de los incisivos superiores, esto provoca que aumente la distancia entre la cara vestibular de los incisivos inferiores y la cara palatina de los incisivos superiores, en sentido anteroposterior (con las arcadas en oclusión). Se concluye que las presiones anormales que generan los instrumentos de viento sobre el aparato estomatognático, provocan una serie de alteraciones que pueden afectar la mucosa oral, los músculos implicados en la práctica instrumental y la oclusión dentaria.This bibliographical review proposes as an objective to summarize the stomatognathic system modifications that occur in musicians who play wind instruments. Among the oral anomalies that abound most in the literature are focal dystonia, xerostomia, pharyngitis, angular cheilitis, cold sores and malocclusions but the impact and high prevalence among this type of musicians are: the increased teeth protrusion, crowding and adaquia. The increased teeth protrusion is a consequence of the pressure exerted by the mouthpiece on the palatal surface of the upper incisors, increasing the anteroposterior distance between the upper and lower incisors (with arcades in occlusion). It is concluded that the abnormal pressures generated by wind instruments on the stomatognathic apparatus cause alterations that may affect the oral mucosa, the muscles involved in the instrumental playing and dental occlusion

Adaptation of non-technical skills behavioural markers for delivery room simulation

Background: Simulation in healthcare has proved to be a useful method in improving skills and increasing the safety of clinical operations. The debriefing session, after the simulated scenario, is the core of the simulation, since it allows participants to integrate the experience with the theoretical frameworks and the procedural guidelines. There is consistent evidence for the relevance of non-technical skills (NTS) for the safe and efficient accomplishment of operations. However, the observation, assessment and feedback on these skills is particularly complex, because the process needs expert observers and the feedback is often provided in judgmental and ineffective ways. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and test a set of observation and rating forms for the NTS behavioural markers of multi-professional teams involved in delivery room emergency simulations (MINTS-DR, Multi-professional Inventory for Non-Technical Skills in the Delivery Room). Methods: The MINTS-DR was developed by adapting the existing tools and, when needed, by designing new tools according to the literature. We followed a bottom-up process accompanied by interviews and co-design between practitioners and psychology experts. The forms were specific for anaesthetists, gynaecologists, nurses/midwives, assistants, plus a global team assessment tool. We administered the tools in five editions of a simulation training course that involved 48 practitioners. Ratings on usability and usefulness were collected. Results: The mean ratings of the usability and usefulness of the tools were not statistically different to or higher than 4 on a 5-point rating scale. In either case no significant differences were found across professional categories. Conclusion: The MINTS-DR is quick and easy to administer. It is judged to be a useful asset in maximising the learning experience that is provided by the simulation