Pottery vessels and technology of “colouring materials” in the central-western Mediterranean (Sardinia, Italy) during the Middle Neolithic: An interdisciplinary approach combining use-wear and chemical-physical analysis

Despite the wide occurrence of colour deposits adhering to the surfaces of several artefacts (specifically, pottery and lithic tools) in Early and Middle Neolithic sites of the Western Mediterranean regions, the chaîne opératoire of colouring materials has not been frequently addressed by systematic techno-functional studies. Particularly, the relationship between pottery function and coloured contents is generally overlooked. In this paper, the use of colouring materials by Middle Neolithic (4500–4000 cal BC) societies in Sardinia (Italy) is investigated, focusing on the archaeological findings from the open-air settlement of Su Mulinu Mannu-Terralba (OR). The aims are to identify the kind of materials, to provide a first assessment of the production methods and to evaluate the role assigned to pottery vessels in processing, handling, and using colouring materials. For these purposes, we apply an interdisciplinary approach, combining analysis of lithic artefacts, use-wear analysis of pottery, archaeometric identification of the chemical and mineralogical composition of geomaterials and colour deposits on artefacts by PXRD, ATR-FTIR and SEM-EDS analyses, and biomolecular analysis of organic residues from pottery by GC-FID and GC–MS. This study reveals the use of haematite-rich ochre as the exclusive red colour-producing geomaterial, processed in situ with basalt macro-tools. Use-wear associated with ochre deposits on pottery vessels points to the selection of some bowls and jars, respectively for processing and storing ochre as the single content or, possibly, as an ingredient of composite products. However, based on our data, the addition of organic materials to ochre is not definitely demonstrated. Beside the preparation of pigments, the occurrence of ochre as content in pottery vessels could be related to a broader range of purposes, encompassing both the technical and the symbolic realm. Overall, these results provide insights both on the technology of “colouring materials” and the use of pottery in the practices of Middle Neolithic groups

68Ga-DOTANOC and 18F-DOPA PET/CT: a site-specific approach to the imaging of parangliomas of the head and neck and of the abdomen

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Analysis of Impact of ICT Solutions in International Freight Management

The paper analyses a crucial problem in the international freight management and assesses the application of an innovative solution based on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools. In order to improve the customs clearance procedures, the paper analyses the main anomalies and bottlenecks related to international freight management of a case study by modelling the customs clearance activities in the Unified Modelling Language framework. Moreover, some novel ICT based solutions are proposed in order to optimize suited performance indices. The flow of goods and information involved in the case study is simulated in different scenarios in order to highlight the improvements reached by using ICT solutions. The simulation results point out the huge impact of ICT on customs clearance operations

A metamodelling approach for performance evaluation of intermodal transportation networks

The paper proposes a metamodelling procedure devoted to provide a reference model to be used by decision makers in the performance evaluation of Intermodal Transportation Network (ITN). In order to obtain a generic model describing a nonspecific ITN from the structural and behavioural point of view, the metamodelling approach consists in applying a top down and modular procedure. The model is specified by the well known Unified Modelling Language (UML), a graphic and textual modelling formalism intended to describe systems from structural and dynamics viewpoints. Hence, the paper models a generic ITN starting from the network description and shows by a case study the metamodel of one of the most important nodes that compose it: the port subsystem. Moreover, the case study model is translated in a simulation software and the performance measures obtained by the simulation results are shown

Caratteristiche del peer feedback e giudizio valutativo in un corso universitario blended

The literature on assessment in higher education largely highlighted the important role of feedback to promote learning (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). More recent research demonstrates thatpeer feedback is particularly effective in improving student learning, in some cases even more than feedback offered by the teacher (Nicol, 2018). Furthermore, the implementation of peerfeedback processes seems to contribute to the development of student assessment literacy and the ability to elaborate and formulate evaluative judgments (Boud, Ajjavi, Dawson, & Tai, 2018).Despite the relevance of these topics to learning in higher education, at international level and in particular in the Italian context, only very few studies specifically investigated how the differenttypes of peer feedback affect learning and how, in these contexts, students develop evaluative judgement skills. In this article we aim at presenting an empirical research work exploring these issues within a broader research on the role of peer review for learning carried at the University of Padova. The results make it possible to consider peer review as a significant teaching and learning tool, through which offer students the possibility to improve and develop assessment literacy and thus to become effective lifelong learners.La letteratura di ricerca sulla valutazione in contesto universitario ha ampiamente messo in luce l’importante ruolo del feedback, in funzione dell’apprendimento (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).Più recenti prospettive di ricerca asseriscono che il feedback proveniente da processi di valutazione fra pari risulti particolarmente efficace per migliorare l’apprendimento degli studenti, in certi casi anche di più di quello offerto dal docente (Nicol, 2018). Inoltre, la messa in atto di attività di feedback fra pari contribuirebbe a formare negli studenti competenze valutative e in particolare capacità di elaborazione e formulazione di giudizi valutativi (Boud, Ajjavi, Dawson, & Tai, 2018).Nonostante la rilevanza di questi temi in relazione all’apprendimento degli studenti universitari, a livello internazionale e in particolare in contesto italiano, sono ancora in numero assai limitato gli studi che indagano specificamente come le diverse tipologie di feedback fra pari incidano sull’apprendimento e come, in tali contesti, gli studenti sviluppino capacità valutative. Nel presente articolo s’intende presentare un lavoro di ricerca empirica volto a esplorare questi temi nell’ambito di un più ampio programma di ricerca sul ruolo della peer review nell’apprendimento in corso presso l’Università di Padova. I risultati permettono di considerare la peer review come un significativo strumento didattico, attraverso il quale offrire agli studenti la possibilità di acquisire competenze valutative e divenire, in tal modo, efficaci lifelong learners

A [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT radiomic model for non-invasive prediction of tumour grade in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours

Predicting grade 1 (G1) and 2 (G2) primary pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (panNET) is crucial to foresee panNET clinical behaviour. 51 patients with G1-G2 primary panNET demonstrated by pre-surgical [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT and diagnostic conventional imaging were grouped according to the tumour grade assessment method: histology on the whole excised primary lesion (HS) or biopsy (BS). First-order and second-order radiomic features (RFs) were computed from SUV maps for the whole tumour volume on HS. The RFs showing the lowest p-values and the highest Area Under the Curve (AUC) were selected. Three radiomic models were assessed: A (trained on HS, validated on BS), B (trained on BS, validated on HS), C (using the cross-validation on the whole dataset). The second-order Normalized homogeneity and Entropy was the most effective RFs couple predicting G2 and G1. The best performance was achieved by model A (test AUC=0.90, sensitivity=0.88, specificity=0.89), followed by model C (median test AUC=0.87, sensitivity=0.83, specificity=0.82). Model B performed worse. Using HS to train a radiomic model leads to the best prediction, although a “hybrid” (HS+BS) population performs better than biopsy-only. The non-invasive prediction of panNET grading may be especially useful in lesions not amenable to biopsy while [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC heterogeneity might recommend FDG PET/CT

Prolongation of incubation time improves clinical diagnosis of Mycobacterium xenopi infection and allows susceptibility testing of mycobacterial strains against multiple antibiotics.

Objectives: Mycobacterium xenopi is a nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) whose clinical diagnosis and drug susceptibility studies are frequently hampered by poor in vitro growth. Extending the culture incubation time from 42 days (common-standard) to 56 days could improve the likelihood of diagnosis and provide strains for phenotypic drug susceptibility profiling of this poorly studied but clinically relevant mycobacterium. Methods: Time-to-positivity of mycobacterial cultures incubated for 56 days were analysed and compared. Clinical mycobacteriosis was defined by ATS/IDSA criteria. In vitro susceptibility of M. xenopi isolates was tested by broth microdilution. Results: Of 3852 mycobacteria-positive cultures (26 different mycobacterial species),M. xenopi required by far the longest growth time in culture, exceeding the 42 days commonly used in routine diagnostics in 41.2% of cases versus 4.7% for other NTM and 2.0% for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (P < 0.001). Prolonging the incubation time to 56 days had a great impact on M. xenopi diagnosis, as 56.3% (27/48) of patients would have not fulfilled the ATS/IDSA criteria at an incubation limited to 42 days. All 40 M. xenopi isolates from patients with clinical mycobacteriosis were fully susceptibility to macrolides and rifamycins in vitro and to moxifloxacin, amikacin and linezolid. Conclusion: These results indicate that a significant percentage (56.3%) of positive culture forM. xenopi would have incorrectly been reported as negative to clinicians without prolonging the incubation time to 56 days. Moreover, 56.3% of patients with M. xenopi disease would have missed the diagnosis along with an appropriate germ-based antimycobacterial treatment, otherwise fully effective

11C-choline vs. 18F-FDG PET/CT in assessing bone involvement in patients with multiple myeloma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a B cell neoplasm causing lytic or osteopenic bone abnormalities. Whole body skeletal survey (WBSS), Magnetic resonance (MR) and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT are imaging techniques routinely used for the evaluation of bone involvement in MM patients.</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>As MM bone lesions may present low ¹⁸F-FDG uptake; the aim of this study was to assess the possible added value and limitations of ¹¹C-Choline to that of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in patients affected with MM.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ten patients affected with MM underwent a standard ¹¹C-Choline PET/CT and an ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT within one week. The results of the two scans were compared in terms of number, sites and SUV_maxof lesions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four patients (40%) had a negative concordant ¹¹C-Choline and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans. Two patients (20%) had a positive ¹¹C-Choline and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans that identified the same number and sites of bone lesions. The remaining four patients (40%) had a positive ¹¹C-Choline and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scan, but the two exams identified different number of lesions. Choline showed a mean SUV_maxof 5 while FDG showed a mean SUV_maxof 3.8 (P = 0.042). Overall, ¹¹C-Choline PET/CT scans detected 37 bone lesions and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans detected 22 bone lesions but the difference was not significant (P = 0.8).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>According to these preliminary data, ¹¹C-Choline PET/CT appears to be more sensitive than ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT for the detection of bony myelomatous lesions. If these data are confirmed in larger series of patients, ¹¹C-Choline may be considered a more appropriate functional imaging in association with MRI for MM bone staging.</p

Disease status, reasons for discontinuation and adverse events in 1038 Italian children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with etanercept

Background: Data from routine clinical practice are needed to further define the efficacy and safety of biologic medications in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The aim of this analysis was to investigate the disease status, reasons for discontinuation and adverse events in Italian JIA patients treated with etanercept (ETN). Methods: In 2013, all centers of the Italian Pediatric Rheumatology Study Group were asked to make a census of patients given ETN after January 2000. Patients were classified in three groups: group 1 = patients still taking ETN; group 2 = patients discontinued from ETN for any reasons; group 3 = patients lost to follow-up while receiving ETN. All three groups received a retrospective assessment; patients in group 1 also underwent a cross-sectional assessment. Results: 1038 patients were enrolled by 23 centers: 422 (40.7%) were in group 1, 462 (44.5%) in group 2, and 154 (14.8%) in group 3. Median duration of ETN therapy was 2.5 years. At cross-sectional assessment, 41.8% to 48.6% of patients in group 1 met formal criteria for inactive disease, whereas 52.4% of patients in group 2 and 55.8% of patients in group 3 were judged in clinical remission by their caring physician at last visit. A relatively greater proportion of patients with systemic arthritis were discontinued or lost to follow-up. Parent evaluations at cross-sectional visit in group 1 showed that 52.4% of patients had normal physical function, very few had impairment in quality of life, 51.2% had no pain, 76% had no morning stiffness, and 82.7% of parents were satisfied with their child's illness outcome. Clinically significant adverse events were reported for 27.8% of patients and ETN was discontinued for side effects in 9.5%. The most common adverse events were new onset or recurrent uveitis (10.2%), infections (6.6%), injection site reactions (4.4%), and neuropsychiatric (3.1%), gastrointestinal (2.4%), and hematological disorders (2.1%). Ten patients developed an inflammatory bowel disease and 2 had a malignancy. One patient died of a fulminant streptococcal sepsis. Conclusions: Around half of the patients achieved complete disease quiescence under treatment with ETN. The medication was overall well tolerated, as only one quarter of patients experienced clinically significant adverse events and less than 10% had treatment discontinued for toxicity

Erratum to: Changes in patterns of uveitis at a tertiary referral center in Northern Italy: analysis of 990 consecutive cases

Erratum to: Changes in patterns of uveitis at a tertiary referral center in Northern Italy: analysis of 990 consecutive case