1,137 research outputs found
Parent\u2019s perception of children\u2019s fear: from FSSC-IT to FSSC-PP
Studies involving parents' reports about children's fears and multiple informant comparisons are less extended than investigations on children's self-reporting fear schedules. Starting with the Italian version of FSSC-R, the FSSC-IT, the main aims of this study were to adapt a schedule for parents' perception of their children's fear: the FSSC-Parent Perception. Its psychometric properties were examined in a large sample of parents (N = 2970) of children aged 8-10 years. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial structures were examined and compared with the Italian children's ones. Mother vs. father, children's gender and school age group effects were analyzed. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a four correlated factors solution model (Fear of Danger and Death; Fear of Injury and Animals; Fear of Failure and Criticism; Fear of the unknown and Phobic aspects). Some effects related to child gender, age group, mother vs. father, were found. The FSSC-PP properties supported its use by parents to assess their children's fears. A qualitative analysis of the top 10 fears most endorsed by parents will be presented and compared with children's fears. Clinical implications about the quality of parent-child relationships where discussed, comparing mothers and fathers, and parents' perception about daughters' and sons' most endorsed fears
Conjoined lumbosacral nerve roots: observations on three cases and review of the literature
Lumbosacral nerve root anomalies are a rare group of congenital anatomical anomalies. Various types of anomalies of the lumbosacral nerve roots have been documented in the available international literature. Generally speaking, these anomalies may consist of a bifid, conjoined structure, of a transverse course or of a characteristic anastomized appearance. Firstly described as an incidental finding during autopsies or surgical procedures performed for lumbar disk herniations and often asymptomatic, lumbosacral nerve root anomalies have been more frequently described in the last years due to the advances made in radiological diagnosis (metrizamide myelography and CT, MRI). Our study comprised three patients with conjoined lumbosacral nerve roots, representing 0.25% of a total of 1200 patients who underwent lumbosacral CT/MRI procedures in the Addolorata Hospital and in the Service of Neuroradiology of the University of Rome "La Sapienza" during the last three years (March 2001-March 2004). We report our experience with three cases of conjoined lumbosacral nerve roots and analyze the most important literature on this topic. MR imaging is a better diagnostic procedure (in comparison to CT) for the differentiation of nerve root anomalies and, in particular, coronal sections furnish a precise definition of the profile of the conjoined/enlarged rootlets. In fact, the accurate information derived from MRI of multiple planes may be priceless for the preoperative and diagnostic evaluation of lumbosacral nerve root anomalies
Soil conservation and sustainable development goals(SDGs) achievement in Europe and central Asia: Which role for the European soil partnership?
Voluntary soil protection measures are not sufficient to achieve sustainable soil management at a global scale. Additionally, binding soil protection legislation at national and international levels has also proved to be insufficient for the effective protection of this almost non-renewable natural resource. The European Soil Partnership (ESP) and its sub-regional partnerships (Eurasian Sub-Regional Soil Partnership, Alpine Soil Partnership) were established in the context of FAO's Global Soil Partnership (GSP) with the mission to facilitate and contribute to the exchange of knowledge and technologies related to soils, to develop dialogue and to raise awareness for the need to establish a binding global agreement for sustainable soil management. The ESP has taken a role of an umbrella network covering countries in Europe and Central Asia. It aims to improve the dialogue in the whole region and has encouraged establishing goals that would promote sustainable soil management, taking into account various national and local approaches and priorities, as well as cultural specificities. The ESP first regional implementation plan for the 2017–2020 period was adopted and implemented along the five GSP pillars of action. Building on the experience of the last four years, this study demonstrates that establishing sub-regional and national partnerships is an additional step in a concrete sustainable soil management implementation process. It also suggests that a complementary approach between legal instruments and voluntary initiatives linked to the development of efficient communication and strong commitment is the key to success
Unique Regulatory Properties of Mesangial Cells Are Genetically Determined in the Rat
Mesangial cells are glomerular cells of stromal origin. During immune complex mediated crescentic glomerulonephritis (Crgn), infiltrating and proliferating pro-inflammatory macrophages lead to crescent formation. Here we have hypothesised that mesangial cells, given their mesenchymal stromal origin, show similar immunomodulatory properties as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), by regulating macrophage function associated with glomerular crescent formation. We show that rat mesangial cells suppress conA-stimulated splenocyte proliferation in vitro, as previously shown for MSCs. We then investigated mesangial cell-macrophage interaction by using mesangial cells isolated from nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN)-susceptible Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and NTN-resistant Lewis (LEW) rats. We first determined the mesangial cell transcriptome in WKY and LEW rats and showed that this is under marked genetic control. Supernatant transfer results show that WKY mesangial cells shift bone marrow derived macrophage (BMDM) phenotype to M1 or M2 according to the genetic background (WKY or LEW) of the BMDMs. Interestingly, these effects were different when compared to those of MSCs suggesting that mesangial cells can have unique immunomodulatory effects in the kidney. These results demonstrate the importance of the genetic background in the immunosuppressive effects of cells of stromal origin and specifically of mesangial cell-macrophage interactions in the pathophysiology of crescentic glomerulonephritis
A natural saline soil as a model for understanding to what extent the concentration of salt affects the distribution of microorganisms
Soils preserve and sustain life. Their health and functioning are crucial for crop production and for the maintenance
of major ecosystem services. Human induced salinity is one of the main soil threats that reduces soil fertility
and affect crop yields. In recent times, great attention has been paid to the general shortage of arable land and to
the increasing demand for ecological restoration of areas affected by salinization processes. Despite the diffuse
interest on the effects of salinization on plants\u2019 growth, and all the derived socioeconomic issues, very few
studies analyzed the ecology of the microbial species in naturally saline soils and the resilience of biological
fertility in these extreme habitats. Microorganisms inhabiting such environments may share a strategy, may have
developed multiple adaptations for maintaining their populations, and cope eventually to extreme conditions by
altruistic or cooperative behaviors for maintaining their metabolism active. The understanding and the knowledge
of the composition and distribution of microbial communities in natural hypersaline soils can be interesting for
ecological reasons but also to develop new restoration strategy where soil fertility was compromised by natural
accidents or human mismanagement.
The aim of this research was to provide specific information on saline soils in Italy, stressing mainly their
distribution, the socioeconomic issues and the understanding of the characterizing ecological processes. Moreover,
natural saline soils were used as a model for understanding to what extent the concentration of salt can affect some
basic microbial processes.
In the present study, physical, chemical and microbiological soil properties were investigated in the shallower
horizons of natural salt affected soils in Sicily (Italy), where some ecological contrasting variables acted as strong
drivers in fungal and bacterial spatial distribution. Furthermore, the interface between biological and geochemical
components in the surface of that peculiar habitat was investigated to evaluate the organization and diversity of the
phototrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms. Sixteen soil samples from A horizons were collected according
to a random sampling scheme. Bacterial and archaeal communities were characterized by their 16S rDNA genes
with T-RFLP method. A total of 92 genera were identified from the 16S pyrosequencing analysis suggesting that
cyanobacteria and communities of sulfur bacteria might directly or indirectly promote the formation of protective
envelope. Some bacterial phyla appeared spread in the whole area, whatever the salinity gradient, while other
groups showed a distribution linked to very compartmentalised soil properties, such as the presence of saline
crusts in the soil surface. Results show that saline soils couldn\u2019t contain just one single microbial community
selected to withstand extreme osmotic phenomena, but many communities that can be variously correlated to one
or more environmental parameters having great importance for the maintenance of the overall homeostasis
Soils and plants in an anthropogenic dump of the Kokdzhon phosphorite mine (Kazakhstan)
Soil development is a crucial aspect in the process of mine spoil restoration and is also critical for the establishment of the vegetation. In this short paper, we present the features of mine proto-soils (i.e. soils at the early stage of development) and the natural vegetation species colonizing mine sites in a dry arid environment of Kazakhstan characterized by surface disturbance due to mine activity to access phosphorite deposit.These disturbed soils showed morphological features very different from each other (particularly horizons depth and sequence), even if the main chemical features were quite homogeneous. This is reasonably linked to the features of the Human Transported Material derived from mine operation that was scattered around the mine area. The most abundant natural plants found in the study area belong to the Poacee, Asteraceae and Fabacee families (with 4 species each). Biomass contribution for all species is very low; the root biomass was greater than above ground biomass, contributing to a modest soil development
Alemtuzumab plus cyclosporine treatment of the autoimmune hemolytic anemia in an adult bowel transplant
An adult male underwent a bowel transplant for tufting enteropathy, receiving alemtuzumab, tacrolimus, and steroids as immunosuppressants. Five years later, he developed an autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), anti-IgG positive, with reduced reticulocyte count, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia with antiplatelet antibodies. After an unsuccessful initial treatment with high dose steroids, reduction in tacrolimus dose, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), a bone marrow biopsy revealed absence of erythroid maturation with precursor hyperplasia. The patient was switched to sirolimus and received four doses of rituximab plus two courses of plasmapheresis, which decreased his transfusion requirements. After a febrile episode one month later, the AIHA relapsed with corresponding decreases in platelet and leukocyte count: cyclosporine A (CsA) was started with a second course of rituximab and IVIG without response, even though repeat bone marrow biopsy did not reveal morphology correlated to an acquired pure red cell aplasia (APRCA). Considering the similarity in his clinical and laboratory findings to APRCA, alemtuzumab was added (three doses over a week) with CsA followed by steroids. The patient was eventually discharged transfusion-independent, with increasing hemoglobin (Hb) levels and normal platelet and leukocyte count. One year later he is still disease-free with functioning graft
INFN Camera demonstrator for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
The Cherenkov Telescope Array is a world-wide project for a new generation of
ground-based Cherenkov telescopes of the Imaging class with the aim of
exploring the highest energy region of the electromagnetic spectrum. With two
planned arrays, one for each hemisphere, it will guarantee a good sky coverage
in the energy range from a few tens of GeV to hundreds of TeV, with improved
angular resolution and a sensitivity in the TeV energy region better by one
order of magnitude than the currently operating arrays. In order to cover this
wide energy range, three different telescope types are envisaged, with
different mirror sizes and focal plane features. In particular, for the highest
energies a possible design is a dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder optical
scheme, with a compact focal plane. A silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) based
camera is being proposed as a solution to match the dimensions of the pixel
(angular size of ~ 0.17 degrees). INFN is developing a camera demonstrator made
by 9 Photo Sensor Modules (PSMs, 64 pixels each, with total coverage 1/4 of the
focal plane) equipped with FBK (Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Italy) Near
UltraViolet High Fill factor SiPMs and Front-End Electronics (FEE) based on a
Target 7 ASIC, a 16 channels fast sampler (up to 2GS/s) with deep buffer,
self-trigger and on-demand digitization capabilities specifically developed for
this purpose. The pixel dimensions of mm lead to a very compact
design with challenging problems of thermal dissipation. A modular structure,
made by copper frames hosting one PSM and the corresponding FEE, has been
conceived, with a water cooling system to keep the required working
temperature. The actual design, the adopted technical solutions and the
achieved results for this demonstrator are presented and discussed.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference
(ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at
arXiv:1508.0589
Unfolding of differential energy spectra in the MAGIC experiment
The paper describes the different methods, used in the MAGIC experiment, to
unfold experimental energy distributions of cosmic ray particles (gamma-rays).
Questions and problems related to the unfolding are discussed. Various
procedures are proposed which can help to make the unfolding robust and
reliable. The different methods and procedures are implemented in the MAGIC
software and are used in most of the analyses.Comment: Submitted to NIM
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