The Seiberg-Witten map for non-commutative pure gravity and vacuum Maxwell theory

In this paper the Seiberg-Witten map is first analyzed for non-commutative Yang-Mills theories with the related methods, developed in the literature, for its explicit construction, that hold for any gauge group. These are exploited to write down the second-order Seiberg-Witten map for pure gravity with a constant non-commutativity tensor. In the analysis of pure gravity when the classical space-time solves the vacuum Einstein equations, we find for three distinct vacuum solutions that the corresponding non-commutative field equations do not have solution to first order in non-commutativity, when the Seiberg-Witten map is eventually inserted. In the attempt of understanding whether or not this is a peculiar property of gravity, in the second part of the paper, the Seiberg-Witten map is considered in the simpler case of Maxwell theory in vacuum in the absence of charges and currents. Once more, no obvious solution of the non-commutative field equations is found, unless the electromagnetic potential depends in a very special way on the wave vector.Comment: Misprints corrected. References adde

Lebanon: between aspiration of changes and the ancient regime

The Syrian refugee crisis, the 2019 riots, the 2020 Beirut port explosion, a deep institutional and financial crisis. In these last years Lebanon and Lebanese experienced extraordinary events which hugely aected both people and institutions. This report is exploring all these crisis dimensions with the aim of providing “food for thought” and contribute to the debate related to the immediate future of the country and therole that youth can eventually play. Thanks to the collaboration with Lebanese academicians and a well-structured field research performed in the country, authors have been able to present an unusual point of view with respect to some crucial issues that are affecting nowadays Lebanon: the resilience of the sectarian system, youths' aspirations for the future, new parties and movements aims and objectives and the “old regime” perspectives. This report represents a unique “document” containing unprecedent testimonies. A “document” which will be hopefully upscaled by other academicians for their future research; a first step towards the comprehension of complex phenomena that will interest Lebanon institutions and Lebanese lives in the forthcoming years. As no final answer is ready yet, it is necessary to continue to research for it and stimulate debate around urgent and critical issues. “Leaving” (Irhal) cannot be the only solution both for corrupt politicians neither for Lebanese youths

A Pedagogical Intrinsic Approach to Relative Entropies as Potential Functions of Quantum Metrics: the qq-zz Family

The so-called $q$-z-\textit{R\'enyi Relative Entropies} provide a huge two-parameter family of relative entropies which includes almost all well-known examples of quantum relative entropies for suitable values of the parameters. In this paper we consider a log-regularized version of this family and use it as a family of potential functions to generate covariant $(0,2)$ symmetric tensors on the space of invertible quantum states in finite dimensions. The geometric formalism developed here allows us to obtain the explicit expressions of such tensor fields in terms of a basis of globally defined differential forms on a suitable unfolding space without the need to introduce a specific set of coordinates. To make the reader acquainted with the intrinsic formalism introduced, we first perform the computation for the qubit case, and then, we extend the computation of the metric-like tensors to a generic $n$-level system. By suitably varying the parameters $q$ and $z$, we are able to recover well-known examples of quantum metric tensors that, in our treatment, appear written in terms of globally defined geometrical objects that do not depend on the coordinates system used. In particular, we obtain a coordinate-free expression for the von Neumann-Umegaki metric, for the Bures metric and for the Wigner-Yanase metric in the arbitrary $n$-level case.Comment: 50 pages, 1 figur

Serum Cystatin C for the diagnosis of acute Kidney Injury in Patients Admitted in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) at emergency department (ED) is a challenging issue. Current diagnostic criteria for AKI poorly recognize early renal dysfunction and may cause delayed diagnosis. We evaluated the use of serum cystatin C (CysC) for the early and accurate diagnosis of AKI in patients hospitalized from the ED. METHODS: In a total of 198 patients (105 males and 93 females), serum CysC, serum creatinine (sCr), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were calculated at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after presentation to the ED. We compared two groups according to the presence or absence of AKI. RESULTS: Serial assessment of CysC, sCr, and eGFR was not a strong, reliable tool to distinguish AKI from non-AKI. CysC > 1.44 mg/L at admission, both alone (Odds Ratio = 5.04; 95%CI 2.20-11.52; P < 0.0002) and in combination with sCr and eGFR (Odds Ratio = 5.71; 95%CI 1.86-17.55; P < 0.002), was a strong predictor for the risk of AKI. CONCLUSIONS: Serial assessment of CysC is not superior to sCr and eGFR in distinguishing AKI from non-AKI. Admission CysC, both alone and in combination with sCr and eGFR, could be considered a powerful tool for the prediction of AKI in ED patients

Neurophysiological Responses to Different Product Experiences

It is well known that the evaluation of a product from the shelf considers the simultaneous cerebral and emotional evaluation of the different qualities of the product such as its colour, the eventual images shown, and the envelope’s texture (hereafter all included in the term “product experience”). However, the measurement of cerebral and emotional reactions during the interaction with food products has not been investigated in depth in specialized literature. (e aim of this paper was to investigate such reactions by the EEG and the autonomic activities, as elicited by the cross-sensory interaction (sight and touch) across several different products. In addition, we investigated whether (i) the brand (Major Brand or Private Label), (ii) the familiarity (Foreign or Local Brand), and (iii) the hedonic value of products (Comfort Food or Daily Food) influenced the reaction of a group of volunteers during their interaction with the products. Results showed statistically significantly higher tendency of cerebral approach (as indexed by EEG frontal alpha asymmetry) in response to comfort food during the visual exploration and the visual and tactile exploration phases. Furthermore, for the same index, a higher tendency of approach has been found toward foreign food products in comparison with local food products during the visual and tactile exploration phase. Finally, the same comparison performed on a different index (EEG frontal theta) showed higher mental effort during the interaction with foreign products during the visual exploration and the visual and tactile exploration phases. Results from the present study could deepen the knowledge on the neurophysiological response to food products characterized by different nature in terms of hedonic value familiarity; moreover, they could have implications for food marketers and finally lead to further study on how people make food choices through the interactions with their commercial envelope

Otolaryngologic symptoms in multiple sclerosis: a review

Many symptoms of multiple sclerosis may affect the ear, nose and throat. The most common otolaryngologic symptoms of multiple sclerosis are speech disorders, followed by sleep disorders, vertigo and disequilibrium, dysphagia, smell alterations, and hearing loss. Less common symptoms include sialorrhea, facial palsy, taste alterations, trigeminal neuralgia and tinnitus. The origin of otolaryngologic symptoms in multiple sclerosis is mainly central, although increasing evidence also suggests a peripheral involvement. Otolaryngologic symptoms in multiple sclerosis may have different clinical presentations; they can appear in different stages of the pathology, in some cases they can be the presenting symptoms and their worsening may be correlated with reactivation of the disease. Many of these symptoms significantly affect the quality of life or patients and lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Otolaryngologic symptoms are common in multiple sclerosis; however, they are often overlooked. In many cases, they follow the relapsing-remitting phases of the disease, and may spontaneously disappear, leading to a delay in multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Clinicians should be aware of otolaryngologic symptoms of multiple sclerosis, especially when they are associated to neurologic symptoms, as they may be early signs of a still undiagnosed multiple sclerosis or could help monitor disease progression in already diagnosed patients

The everyday-life in neanderthal times: a full-immersive Pleistocene reconstruction for the Casal De' Pazzi Museum (Rome)

[EN] The Museum of Casal De' Pazzi (Rome) is built since about ten years on a Pleistocene floor consisting in the ancient riverbed of the Aniene river, at about 200.000 bp. Since its opening, it has been characterized by a strong narrative approach, and communication effort. The digital project realized by the Italian CNR (Institut for Technology applied to Cultural Heritage) implies three applications: a flood simulation, to show the water refilling of the ancient riverbed; a movie in computer-graphic, to be shown to the public, explaining neanderthal man and ancient elephant's life, and an edu-game, for children's learning, the Plei-stostation, implemented by touch-screen interaction dynamics.[ES] El Museo de Casal De' Pazzi (Roma) se construyó hace unos diez años en un terreno pleistocénico, en el que hace aproximadamente 200.000 años se encontraba el antiguo cauce del río Aniene. Desde su apertura, el Museo se ha caracterizado por un fuerte enfoque narrativo y comunicativo. El proyecto digital realizado porel CNR italiano (Instituto de las Tecnologías aplicadas a Bienes Culturales) incluye tres aplicaciones: una simulación de las inundaciones, que muestra como se anegó del antiguo lecho del río; una película de animación por ordenador, en la que se presenta al público cómo era el antiguo hombre de Neanderthal y la vida de los elefantes antiguos, y un juego educativo, que fomenta el aprendizaje de los niños, el Plei-sto-station, implementado mediante un sistema dinámico con pantalla de interacción táctil.Palombini, A.; Arnoldus Huyzendveld, A.; Di Ioia, M.; Gioia, P.; Persiani, C.; Pescarin, S. (2012). The everyday-life in neanderthal times: a full-immersive Pleistocene reconstruction for the Casal De' Pazzi Museum (Rome). Virtual Archaeology Review. 3(7):73-76. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2012.4391OJS737637FUNICIELLO R., GIORDANO G. (2008): "La geologia di Roma - Dal centro storico alla periferia". Memorie descrittive della Carta Geologica d'Italia n. 80/2008 - Servizio Geologico Nazionale - APAT

Viral Encephalopathy and Retinopathy (VER) in Mediterranean wild and farmed fish species : the experience of the ‘Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale’ in Sicily

Betanodavirus infection is widespread in a broad spectrum of fish species worldwide. In Italy, it is responsible for outbreaks of Viral Encephalo-Retinopathy (VER) that causes mortality and economic losses in sea fish farming. The infection is also widespread in the wild and not only in managed systems, where there are generally no observed clinical manifestations.peer-reviewe