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

Perceived Competence and Agreeableness Predict Positive Behaviors Toward Mexican Immigrants: Less Acculturated Hispanics are More Welcoming of Immigrants

The resettlement of immigrants who have fled their countries because of dire consequences at home and better opportunities elsewhere, has given rise to a range of prejudices toward them in their host countries. We examined prejudices and discrimination toward immigrants, specifically Mexican immigrants, as a function of their perceived competence and warmth within the context of the Stereotype Content Model. We also examined perceiver’s agreeableness, openness to experience, attitudes and acculturation level, and their links with prejudices toward immigrants. We found that an immigrant’s competence elicited strong and more positive feelings and responses than warmth. More competent immigrants were more likely to be liked and welcomed. Of the Big Five variables, Agreeableness was strongly linked with positive sentiments and actions toward immigrants. However, Attitudes toward immigrants showed the strongest correlations with the criterion variables, of how individuals will feel and intend to behave toward immigrants. Finally, acculturation within Latinos correlated negatively with positive feelings and actions toward immigrants. More acculturated Latinos were less welcoming of immigrants. The findings serve to inform policymakers of the varied prejudices held of immigrants and the types of discrimination they are likely to face in order to help them implement humane policy options

Environmental news and stock markets performance: Further evidence for Argentina

More and more firms tend nowadays to adopt environment-friendly attitudes. Their motivation originates in local environmental regulations or requirements of foreign markets to which firms export (both induced by consumers and investors' valuation of pro-environment initiatives). There is a well-established literature capturing the impact on stock prices of environmental information releases using the event study methodology. Studies are usually based on information environmental regulation (i.e., the regulator announcement of emissions or compliance status with respect to standards) or on simple media coverage of environmental news. Dasgupta, Laplante and Mamingi (2001) is one of the few references to show that public information on environmental behavior has impact on stock prices in the developing world. It includes Argentina in its analysis together with Chile, Mexico and the Philippines. In this manuscript, we focus specifically on Argentina. We find that positive environmental news have no impact, while negative news do have an effect on average rates of return a few days following its appearance. But, when focusing on different types of positive news, we find that ISO certification has no effect whatsoever, while investment decisions do have some positive significant influence on returns. On the other side, negative news influence on stock returns is particularly significant for events linked to citizen complaints and government rulings (confirming other studies results) and for media coverage of oil company issues. However, we find abnormal returns of a much smaller magnitude than other studies for developing countries. We believe that is readonable because there seem to be no reason why the level of abnormal returns (not its volatility) should be larger for environmental news in developing countries than in developed ones

The contribution of intravenous medicines to water and sodium intake in upper and lower gastrointestinal surgical patients

OBJECTIVE: The quantitative importance of prescribed intravenous medicines to water and sodium intake in routine clinical practice is undocumented, with uncertain influence on clinical outcomes. The present study aimed to redress this issue in surgical patients with gastrointestinal problems. RESEARCH METHODS & PROCEDURES: Prescription and administration of intravenous medicines and fluids were retrospectively reviewed for water and sodium over 24-hour periods in 86 patients in upper and lower gastrointestinal surgical wards in two teaching hospitals. Changes over five years were assessed in the same two wards using the same methodology. RESULTS: Among the 90.7% of patients prescribed intravenous medicines the median (range) intake was 272 (40–2687) mL water/day and 27 (2–420) mmol sodium/day, with no significant difference between hospitals or ward type. In 28.2% of those receiving any infusates the only source of water and sodium was intravenous medicines, and in 14.3% the medicines provided more sodium than other infusates. Antibiotics and paracetamol accounted for 58.3% of water and 52.3% of sodium in intravenous medicines. ‘Historic’ data of intravenous medicine-related salt and water intake did not differ significantly from ‘current’ data. The literature suggests clinical outcomes can be modulated by variations in water and sodium intake, are well within the range provided by intravenous medicines. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous medicine prescriptions, particularly antibiotics and paracetamol, can make substantial and clinically relevant contributions to daily water and sodium intake. They have persisted over time, and should be considered during routine assessment of fluid balance and interventions aiming to improve clinical outcomes

Is digital twin technology supporting safety management? A bibliometric and systematic review

In the Industry 4.0 era, digital tools applied to production and manufacturing activities represent a challenge for companies. Digital Twin (DT) technology is based on the integration of different “traditional” tools, such as simulation modeling and sensors, and is aimed at increasing process performance. In DTs, simulation modeling allows for the building of a digital copy of real processes, which is dynamically updated through data derived from smart objects based on sensor technologies. The use of DT within manufacturing activities is constantly increasing, as DTs are being applied in different areas, from the design phase to the operational ones. This study aims to analyze existing fields of applications of DTs for supporting safety management processes in order to evaluate the current state of the art. A bibliometric review was carried out through VOSviewer to evaluate studies and applications of DTs in the engineering and computer science areas and to identify research clusters and future trends. Next, a bibliometric and systematic review was carried out to deepen the relation between the DT approach and safety issues. The findings highlight that in recent years, DT applications have been tested and developed to support operators during normal and emergency conditions and to enhance their abilities to control safety levels

Mechanical Systems: Symmetry and Reduction

Reduction theory is concerned with mechanical systems with symmetries. It constructs a lower dimensional reduced space in which associated conservation laws are taken out and symmetries are \factored out" and studies the relation between the dynamics of the given system with the dynamics on the reduced space. This subject is important in many areas, such as stability of relative equilibria, geometric phases and integrable systems

Characteristics of Esophageal Cancer Cases in Tanzania.

PurposeAge-standardized incidence rates for esophageal cancer (EC) in East Africa have been reported as disproportionately high compared with the worldwide incidence of nine per 100,000 population. This study aimed to characterize EC cases seen at Muhimbili National Hospital and Ocean Road Cancer Institute in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.MethodsDemographic, clinical, and treatment variables were abstracted from charts of patients who received care for a diagnosis of EC at one or both institutions between 2011 and 2013. Categorical data were summarized as frequency counts and percentages. Continuous data were presented as medians and ranges. To compare men and women, Pearson's χ2 and two-sample t tests were applied.ResultsSeven hundred thirty-eight unique cases of EC were identified, of whom 68% were men and the median age was 60 years (range, 19 to 95 years). Notably, 93 cases (13%) were ≤ 40 years old at diagnosis. Squamous cell carcinoma was the dominant histology, comprising 90% of cases with documented histopathology. However, 34% of cases with a diagnosis of EC were not pathologically confirmed. The stage was documented as locoregional in 4% of cases, locally advanced in 20% of cases, metastatic in 14% of cases, and unknown in 63% of cases. Of 430 patients who received treatment at Ocean Road Cancer Institute, 76% were treated with radiation, 44% were treated with chemotherapy, 3% underwent a cancer-related surgical procedure, and 10% of cases received no cancer-directed therapy. The median overall survival for all patients was 6.9 months (95% CI, 5.0 to 12.8), regardless of stage at presentation.ConclusionBetween 2011 and 2013, cases of EC represented a large clinical burden at both institutions

Rancang Bangun Animasi 3 Dimensi Budaya Passiliran

Suku Toraja adalah suku yang masih memegang erat adat istiadat mereka dari zaman dahulu hingga kini, namun ada juga kebiasaan leluhur mereka yang telah ditinggalkan seperti budaya Passiliran akibat perkembangan zaman yang begitu pesat serta masuknya Injil di Tana Toraja. Passiliran adalah tradisi menguburkan mayat bayi yang belum tumbuh gigi susunya di batang pohon Pina. Dengan adanya animasi 3 dimensi tentang budaya Passiliran leluhur masyarakat Toraja, masyarakat bisa mendapatkan informasi tambahan mengenai budaya-budaya dari masyarakat Toraja yang tidak diketahui oleh banyak orang. Proses produksi film animasi 3 dimensi ini menggunakan metode Sutopo yang dikembangkan dari metode Luther dimana pada metode ini terdapat 6 langkah atau tahapan secara garis besar, yaitu: Consept, Design, Material Collecting, Assembly, Testing, dan Distribution. Dalam animasi 3 dimensi budaya Passiliran ini terdapat 6 scene utama dan 2 scene tambahan. Objek-objek yang telah selesai dibuat akan ditata sesuai dengan kebutuhan pada masing-masing scene. Setiap scene yang telah dibuat akan di render kedalam bentuk potongan-potongan gambar terlebih dahulu kemudian ketika semua frame telah selesai di render, semua frame disatukan menjadi satu file video. Untuk musik dan narasi disesuaikan setelah seluruh file video dari setiap scene telah masuk pada final editing. Animasi 3 dimensi ini berhasil dibuat, namun yang perlu ditingkatkan adalah dari segi tampilan gambar. Ketika proses rigging pada karakter, diharapkan pada para animator agar lebih sabar dan teliti dalam menentukan banyaknya jumlah frame per langkah agar gerakan yang dihasilkan bisa lebih halus