A combinatorial approach to geometric rough paths and their controlled paths

We develop the structure theory for transformations of weakly geometric rough paths of bounded $1 < p$-variation and their controlled paths. Our approach differs from existing approaches as it does not rely on smooth approximations. We derive an explicit combinatorial expression for the rough path lift of a controlled path, and use it to obtain fundamental identities such as the associativity of the rough integral, the adjunction between pushforwards and pullbacks, and a change of variables formula for rough differential equations (RDEs). As applications we define rough paths, rough integration and RDEs on manifolds, extending the results of [CDL15] to the case of arbitrary $p$

Exploiting Visual Languages Generation and UML Meta Modeling to Construct Meta-CASE Workbenches

n/

Exploiting XPG for Visual Languages Definition, Analysis and Development

n/

Marine magnetic investigation of the submarine base of Mt. Etna and Hyblean Plateau

Two marine magnetic surveys were carried out during 1997 and 1999 in the Ionian Sea off the eastern coast of Sicily to investigate the magnetic structures of the eastern base of Mt. Etna and the Hyblean Plateau. The investigated area is approximately 85 km long and 15 km wide, running from North to South, in the Western Ionian Sea. Models along two profiles parallel to the coast and over the entire area provide a possible distribution of volcanic bodies and volcaniclastic deposits off the eastern coast of Sicily and their relations with the sedimentary substratum. 3D modeling suggests the presence of magnetized bodies, inserted in the sedimentary substratum, plausibly related to Hyblean Plateau volcanism in the south sector and to Mt. Etna activity in the north. We speculate that the Malta Escarpment could have produced preferential ways for magma ascents off the Hyblean Plateau. The spatial continuity of the volcanism affecting the entire investigated area could testify spatial transition between Hyblean and Etnean volcanism supporting the hypothesis that the magma process migrated with time from south-east to north-west

Conceptual design of the enhanced coolant purification systems for the European HCLL and HCPB test blanket modules

The Coolant Purification Systems (CPSs) is one of the most relevant ancillary systems of European Helium Cooled Lead Lithium (HCLL) and Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Modules (TBMs) which are currently in the preliminary design phase in view of their installation and operation in ITER. The CPS implements mainly two functions: the extraction and concentration of the tritium permeated from the TBM modules into the primary cooling circuit and the chemistry control of helium primary coolant. During the HCLL and HCPB-TBSs (Test Blanket Systems) Conceptual Design Review (CDR) in 2015 it was recognized the need of reducing the tritium permeation into the Port Cell #16 of ITER. To achieve this and, then, to lower the tritium partial pressure in the Helium Cooling Systems in normal operation, the helium flow-rate treated by each CPS has been increased of almost one order of magnitude. In 2017, to satisfy the CDR outcomes and the new design requirements requested by Fusion for Energy (F4E, the European Domestic Agency for ITER), ENEA performed a preliminary design of the “enhanced” CPSs. This paper presents the current design of the “enhanced” CPSs, focusing on design requirements, assumptions, selection of technologies and preliminary components sizing

A Black and White Game: Racial Stereotypes in Baseball

The current study experimentally tested stereotypes and credibility of messages associated with athletes. Participants were asked to rate photos of black and white baseball players based on stereotypes identified in previous literature. They were then given an anonymous paragraph from a newspaper that featured either a stereotype consistent or inconsistent message and asked to rate the author\u27s credibility. Black players were rated significantly higher in physical strength and natural ability, which is consistent with previous literature. However, inconsistent with previous literature, white players were not rated significantly higher in intelligence and leadership. Despite these results, when measuring credibility, this study found white-consistent stereotypes to be credible, whereas black-consistent ones were not. These results are interpreted in light of Devine\u27s model of stereotype processing and in-group, out-group bias

Telomere length and aging-related outcomes in humans: A Mendelian randomization study in 261,000 older participants.

This is the final version. Available from Wiley Open Access via the DOI in this recordInherited genetic variation influencing leukocyte telomere length provides a natural experiment for testing associations with health outcomes, more robust to confounding and reverse causation than observational studies. We tested associations between genetically determined telomere length and aging-related health outcomes in a large European ancestry older cohort. Data were from n = 379,758 UK Biobank participants aged 40-70, followed up for mean of 7.5 years (n = 261,837 participants aged 60 and older by end of follow-up). Thirteen variants strongly associated with longer telomere length in peripheral white blood cells were analyzed using Mendelian randomization methods with Egger plots to assess pleiotropy. Variants in TERC, TERT, NAF1, OBFC1, and RTEL1 were included, and estimates were per 250 base pairs increase in telomere length, approximately equivalent to the average change over a decade in the general white population. We highlighted associations with false discovery rate-adjusted p-values smaller than .05. Genetically determined longer telomere length was associated with lowered risk of coronary heart disease (CHD; OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) but raised risk of cancer (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.06-1.16). Little evidence for associations were found with parental lifespan, centenarian status of parents, cognitive function, grip strength, sarcopenia, or falls. The results for those aged 60 and older were similar in younger or all participants. Genetically determined telomere length was associated with increased risk of cancer and reduced risk of CHD but little change in other age-related health outcomes. Telomere lengthening may offer little gain in later-life health status and face increasing cancer risks.the National Institute on Agin

Foul Ball: Audience-Held Stereotypes of Baseball Players

This study experimentally tested whether participants held and/or applied stereotypes of baseball players. Participants were asked to rate white, black, and Latino baseball players based on stereotypes consistently identified in previous literature. Participants saw a photo of a player and an anonymous paragraph from a newspaper that highlighted a particular stereotype. They were then asked to rate the author\u27s credibility. Black players were rated as higher in physical strength and natural ability, consistent with previous literature concerning how athletes were described. However, white and Latin players were not stereotyped. But participants rated white-consistent descriptions as credible and Latin-consistent descriptions as less credible. These results are interpreted through the prism of social identity theory

Assessing the Usability of a Visual Tool for the definition of E-learning Processes

In this paper, we present a usability study aiming at assessing a visual language-based tool for developing adaptive e-learning processes. The tool implements the adaptive self-consistent learning object SET (ASCLO-S) visual language, a special case of flow diagrams, to be used by instructional designers to define classes of learners through stereotypes and to specify the more suited adaptive learning process for each class of learners. The usability study is based on the combined use of two techniques: a questionnaire-based survey and an empirical analysis. The survey has been used to achieve feedbacks from the subjects' point of view. In particular, it has been useful to capture the perceived usability of the subjects. The outcomes show that both the proposed visual notation and the system prototype are suitable for instructional designers with or without experience on the computer usage and on tools for defining e-learning processes. This result is further confirmed by the empirical analysis we carried out by analysing the correlation between the effort to develop adaptive e-learning processes and some measures suitable defined for those processes. Indeed, the empirical analysis revealed that the effort required to model e-learning processes is not influenced by the experience of the instructional designer with the use of e-learning tools, but it only depends on the size of the developed process

Innovative blood antioxidant test in standardbred trotter horses

In athletic horses, prolonged and intense training gives rise to an imbalance between the production of free radicals and antioxidant molecules, leading to oxidative stress. Considering the relation between exercise and oxidative stress in horses, the present work aims to validate the Kit Radicaux Libres (KRL) test as a tool to verify the influence of taming, training and racing on the total blood antioxidant activity and some haematochemical parameters. Five Italian Standardbred racehorses (two males and three females, aged 12 ± 1 months) from the same training center were selected and monitored upon arrival and during the following year until the racing season. Blood samples were obtained at different timepoints, corresponding to different steps of training. The data showed that KRL values were higher (p &lt; 0.001) before the beginning of the taming period and at 60 days of taming, compared with the training and racing periods; additionally, the total protein value was affected by the training program, whereas no effects of training on muscle enzymes were detected. These results confirm that exercise plays a role in the production of free radicals and show that the KRL test may represent a valid method to determine oxidative stress in athletic horses