Case history : a magnetic and GPR prospection on a Roman rural villa in western Piedmont (Italy )

To explore an archaeological site in western Piedmont we proceed to a multimethod survey using fast methods and taking also into account the information achievable after a 2D or 3D data processing and/or rendering. This choice restricted the methodologies to magnetic and GPR prospecting. The non contact resistance imaging, in our opinion, still gives too smeared results even if indicative of resistivity anomalies. We selected the magnetic prospecting because of the remarkable size of some of the walls actually excavated even if, as we explain in the geological context, the probability of collecting a significant amount of noise was high

Sepolture di pre-adulti nelle necropoli greche dell’Italiameridionale: osservazioni sulle strategie di rappresentazionetra periodo tardo-arcaico ed età classica

Si, en général, l’accès limité au formal burial et les dépenses modestes pour les obsèques et la construction de la tombe ont été souvent évoqués pour témoignerle rôle marginal attribué traditionellement à l’enfance dans le monde grec, en revanche, en Italie du sud, certaines sépultures d’individus morts jeunes montrent des offrandes riches, comportant des objets reliés à la sphère des adultes. Ces contextes constituent un reflet significatif des relations socio-culturelles dans les communautés d’appartenance des défunts, au sein desquelles les immatures semblent jouer un rôle stratégique

Economic order quantity and storage assignment policies

The basic Harris’s lot size model dates back to 1913 (Harris, 1913), hence one century from its publication has been recently celebrated. Starting from the seminal work of Harris, a wide plethora of contributors has faced with the lot-sizing problem for fitting the basic model of the economic order quantity to several environments. In fact, the three key parameters constituting the basic model, i.e. the demand rate, the ordering costs, and the inventory holding costs, have been widely explored in order to relax the assumptions of the original model. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the liaison between holding costs and warehouse management has not been completely addressed. The holding costs have been early considered for simplicity as primarily given by the cost of capital, and thus dependent solely on the average inventory on stock. Conversely, by including a more detailed supply chain costs contribution, the economic order quantity calculus appears depending on a recursive calculus process and on the storage assignment policy. In fact, different approaches of warehouse management, e.g. shared and dedicated storage, lead to highly variable distances to be covered for performing the missions. This leads to a total cost function, and consequently to optimum lot sizes, that are affected by the warehouse management. In this paper, this relationship has been made explicit in order to evaluate an optimal order quantity taking into account storage assignment policies

Transcriptome analysis of the venom gland of the Mexican scorpion Hadrurus gertschi (Arachnida: Scorpiones)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Scorpions like other venomous animals posses a highly specialized organ that produces, secretes and disposes the venom components. In these animals, the last postabdominal segment, named telson, contains a pair of venomous glands connected to the stinger. The isolation of numerous scorpion toxins, along with cDNA-based gene cloning and, more recently, proteomic analyses have provided us with a large collection of venom components sequences. However, all of them are secreted, or at least are predicted to be secretable gene products. Therefore very little is known about the cellular processes that normally take place inside the glands for production of the venom mixture. To gain insights into the scorpion venom gland biology, we have decided to perform a transcriptomic analysis by constructing a cDNA library and conducting a random sequencing screening of the transcripts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From the cDNA library prepared from a single venom gland of the scorpion <it>Hadrurus gertschi</it>, 160 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were analyzed. These transcripts were further clustered into 68 unique sequences (20 contigs and 48 singlets), with an average length of 919 bp. Half of the ESTs can be confidentially assigned as homologues of annotated gene products. Annotation of these ESTs, with the aid of Gene Ontology terms and homology to eukaryotic orthologous groups, reveals some cellular processes important for venom gland function; including high protein synthesis, tuned posttranslational processing and trafficking. Nonetheless, the main group of the identified gene products includes ESTs similar to known scorpion toxins or other previously characterized scorpion venom components, which account for nearly 60% of the identified proteins.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge this report contains the first transcriptome analysis of genes transcribed by the venomous gland of a scorpion. The data were obtained for the species <it>Hadrurus gertschi</it>, belonging to the family Caraboctonidae. One hundred and sixty ESTs were analyzed, showing enrichment in genes that encode for products similar to known venom components, but also provides the first sketch of cellular components, molecular functions, biological processes and some unique sequences of the scorpion venom gland.</p

How Effective Are Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Reducing Stress and Weight? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Stress contributes to the development and maintenance of obesity. Mindfulness-based therapies are being used to reduce stress and promote weight reduction and maintenance. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions for stress and weight reduction in the short, medium, and long term. Searches on PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, WOS, and Science Direct were conducted until March 2021. Intervention studies with a sample of adults were included; these evaluated a mindfulness-based intervention and used stress and weight or body mass index as outcome variables. These criteria were met by 13 articles. A meta-analysis of 8 of the 13 articles was performed with a random-effects or fixed-effects model, depending on the level of heterogeneity between studies. Mindfulness-based interventions had a small effect on stress reduction over a 3-month period: effect size (standardized mean difference) = −0.29 (95% CI: −0.49, −0.10). However, no significant evidence was found for stress reduction from 3 months onwards, nor for weight or body mass index reduction in any period. Mindfulness-based interventions are effective in reducing stress in the short term, but not in the medium or long term, nor are they effective for weight or body mass index. More robust and longer study designs are needed to determine their effects.This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, as allocated to the intern E.S.-C., with reference number [FPU18/04620]

Mesenchymal stem cell secretome and extracellular vesicles for neurodegenerative diseases: Risk-benefit profile and next steps for the market access

Neurodegenerative diseases represent a growing burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promise as a potential therapy due to their neuroregenerative, neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory properties, which are, however, linked to the bioactive substances they release, collectively known as secretome. This paper provides an overview of the most recent research on the safety and efficacy of MSC-derived secretome and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in clinical (if available) and preclinical models of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, acute ischemic stroke, and spinal cord injury. The article explores the biologically active substances within MSCsecretome/EVs, the mechanisms responsible for the observed therapeutic effects, and the strategies that may be used to optimize MSC-secretome/EVs production based on specific therapeutic needs. The review concludes with a critical discussion of current clinical trials and a perspective on potential future directions in translating MSCsecretome and EVs into the clinic, specifically regarding how to address the challenges associated with their pharmaceutical manufacturing, including scalability, batch-to-batch consistency, adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines, formulation, and storage, along with quality controls, access to the market and relative costs, value for money and impact on total expenditure

Percepções dos alunos de Enfermagem sobre flipped classroom e avaliação contínua na sala de aula de Gestão de Enfermagem

Introduction: Although the training of nurses in administration and leadership has an important repercussion on the present and the future of the profession, teaching methods are still traditional in many cases. Flipped classroom is a widely used method in nursing education but studies about its application to Nursing Administration and Management are limited. Method: Qualitative study by means of anonymous survey (dichotomous and open questions). Results: 92 % of students were shown to be satisfied with the teaching methodology and 92.9 % with the assessment. Only 31.5 % had used it previously but 83 % would like to use it in more subjects. The students showed that the methodology used had improved their opinion about the content and had increased their perception its usefulness. Conclusion: The participating students have been shown to be satisfied with flipped method and continuous assessment. These teaching strategies can help motivate nursing students towards the subject of Nursing Administration and Management, which can encourage them to pursue postgraduate training and professional practice in this area.Introducción: Si bien la formación de enfermeros en Administración y Gestión tiene una importante repercusión en el presente y el futuro de la profesión, los métodos de enseñanza siguen siendo tradicionales en muchos casos. El aula invertida es un método ampliamente utilizado en la educación de enfermería, pero los estudios sobre su aplicación a la administración y gestión de enfermería son limitados. Método: Estudio cualitativo mediante cuestionario anónimo (preguntas dicotómicas y abiertas). Resultados: El 92 % de los estudiantes se mostró satisfecho con la metodología de enseñanza y el 92,9 % con la evaluación. Solo el 31,5 % lo había usado anteriormente, pero al 83 % le gustaría usarlo en más sujetos. Los estudiantes demostraron que la metodología utilizada había mejorado su opinión sobre el contenido y había aumentado su percepción útil del mismo. Conclusión: Los estudiantes participantes han demostrado estar satisfechos con el método de aula invertida. Estas estrategias de enseñanza pueden ayudar a motivar a los estudiantes de enfermería hacia la asignatura de Administración y Gestión de los Servicios de Enfermería, lo que puede animarlos a realizar una formación de posgrado y una práctica profesional en esta área.Introdução: Embora a educação de Enfermagem em Administração e Gestão tenha um grande impacto no presente e futuro da profissão, os métodos de ensino continuam a ser tradicionais em muitos casos. A sala de aula invertida é um método amplamente utilizado na educação em Enfermagem, mas os estudos sobre a sua aplicação à Administração e Gestão de Enfermagem são limitados. Método: Estudo qualitativo utilizando um questionário anônimo (perguntas dicotômicas e abertas). Resultados: 92% dos estudantes ficaram satisfeitos com a metodologia de ensino e 92,9% com a avaliação. Apenas 31,5% já o tinha utilizado antes, mas 83% gostariam de  utilizá-lo em mais assuntos. Os estudantes mostraram que a metodologia utilizada havia melhorado a sua opinião sobre o conteúdo e aumentado a sua percepção útil do conteúdo. Conclusão: Os estudantes participantes mostraram-se satisfeitos com o método invertido e com a avaliação contínua. Estas estratégias de ensino podem ajudar a motivar os estudantes de Enfermagem para a disciplina de Administração e Gestão de Enfermagem, o que pode encorajá-los a empreender uma educação de pós-graduação e prática profissional nesta área