Public Procurement and Reputation. An Agent-Based Model

This paper uses an agent-based computational model to investigate whether and how considering the firm's reputation in the public procurement selection process affects the expected final contract cost. We take account of different sets of simulations and a range of model parameters (such as firm skills, level of opportunistic rebate, relative weights of reputation and rebate) and propose a reputation index based on the cost overruns recorded by winning firms at the conclusion of their contracts. We show that this index allows the awarding authority to (i) select the most efficient and the least opportunistic firms, and (ii) to exclude firms that engage in frequent opportunistic behavior whose reputation has declined. Our results suggest that reputation matters, and we derive some implications for policy

Coupled Electric and Hydraulic Control of a PRS Turbine in a Real Transport Water Network

Although many devices have recently been proposed for pressure regulation and energy harvesting in water distribution and transport networks, very few applications are still documented in the scientific literature. A new in-line Banki turbine with positive outflow pressure and a mobile regulating flap, named PRS, was installed and tested in a real water transport network for pressure and discharge regulation. The PRS turbine was directly connected to a 55 kW asynchronous generator with variable rotational velocity, coupled to an inverter. The start-up tests showed how automatic adjustment of the flap position and the impeller velocity variation are able to change the characteristic curve of the PRS according to the flow delivered by the water manager or to the pressure set-point assigned downstream or upstream of the system, still keeping good efficiency values in hydropower production

Patient-reported outcomes and complication rates after lateral maxillary sinus floor elevation: a prospective study

Objectives Oral surgery morbidity is highly variable based on patients' characteristics and kind of surgical intervention. However, poor data are available in the literature regarding patient outcomes after oral surgery. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate patient-reported outcome and complication rates after maxillary sinus floor elevation. Materials and methods Data from the records of patients undergoing maxillary sinus elevation have been collected from a private dental office. Patient-reported outcome has been assessed using a 100-mm visual analog scale to evaluate the post-operative pain (VAS(pain)) experienced in the first week following surgery and visual rating scales to evaluate discomfort level (VRSdiscomfort: 0 to 4) and willingness to repeat the same surgical procedure (VRSwillingness: 0 to 3). Analgesics intake, swelling onset and duration, and ecchymosis have been also recorded. Results VAS(pain) showed moderate values in the first 2 days (< 50) post-surgery, with a tendency to progressively decrease over the next 2 days. Average assumption of painkillers was 3.93 +/- 3.03. Discomfort level (VRSdiscomfort) after surgery was low (median: 1; IR: 1-0), while willingness to undergo the same surgical procedure was very high (77.63% of patients). Swelling and ecchymosis were experienced by 97.36% and 51.32% of patients, respectively, with a mean duration of 4.09 +/- 1.43 and 2.21 +/- 2.31 days, respectively. Membrane perforation occurred in 4 cases. Other post-operative complications were not observed. Conclusions Maxillary sinus grafting is a safe procedure, with a low complication rate and moderate morbidity that is well tolerated by patients. Particular attention is needed in case selection, surgical planning and operator expertise. © 2021, The Author(s)

Correction to: Quality Systems in the Food Industry

n/

Review of the role of fluid dairy in delivery of polyphenolic compounds in the diet: chocolate milk, coffee beverages, matcha green tea, and beyond

Dairy-based functional beverages have been a growing segment as consumer demands for health foods have shifted focus from simply enhancing lifespan to protecting health. Green tea is often limited in use because of poor bioavailability and disagreeable taste. However, milk is considered an ideal platform for the delivery of active polyphenolic compounds in green tea. Furthermore, the antioxidant enzymatic activity and antioxidant index of polyphenols in green tea have been known to be protected through interaction with dairy proteins inside the unstable intestinal environment. In addition, consumption of green tea infused with milk has been found to have a significant impact on reducing skin wrinkles and roughness in elderly subjects, through a decrease in lipid peroxidation and a concomitant reduction in oxidative stress. A similar affinity has been observed between antioxidants in coffee and milk proteins. Dark chocolate has been known to contain significant phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The activation of protein complex NF-kappa B, which is responsible for cell survival, was found to be significantly reduced upon consumption of cocoa with water, whereas consuming cocoa with milk had no effect on the bioavailability of the phenolic compounds in cocoa. The popularity of dairy as the source for polyphenol fortified beverages in the diet will be dictated by optimization of the technology for maximizing the bioavailability of the antioxidants.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chemical Composition of PM10 at Urban Sites in Naples (Italy)

Here, we report the chemical characterization and identification of the possible sources of particulate matter (fraction PM10) at two different sites in Naples. PM10 concentration and its chemicalcompositionwerestudiedusingthecrustalenrichmentfactor(EF)andprincipalcomponent analysis (PCA). In all of the seasons, the PM10 levels, were significantly higher (p 0.8) was obtained between reconstructed mass and gravimetric mass. PCA analysis explained 76% and 79% of the variance in NA01 and NA02, respectively. The emission sources were the same for both sites; but, the location of the site, the different distances from the sources and the presence and absence of vegetation proved the different concentrations and compositions of PM10

Cytokine Induced Killer cells are effective against sarcoma cancer stem cells spared by chemotherapy and target therapy

Metastatic bone and soft tissue sarcomas often relapse after chemotherapy (CHT) and molecular targeted therapy (mTT), maintaining a severe prognosis. A subset of sarcoma cancer stem cells (sCSC) is hypothesized to resist conventional drugs and sustain disease relapses. We investigated the immunotherapy activity of cytokine induced killer cells (CIK) against autologous sCSC that survived CHT and mTT. The experimental platform included two aggressive bone and soft tissue sarcoma models: osteosarcoma (OS) and undifferentiated-pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS). To visualize putative sCSC we engineered patient-derived sarcoma cultures (2 OS and 3 UPS) with a lentiviral sCSC-detector wherein the promoter of stem-gene Oct4 controls the expression of eGFP. We visualized a fraction of sCSC (mean 24.2 +/- 5.2%) and confirmed their tumorigenicity in vivo. sCSC resulted relatively resistant to both CHT and mTT in vitro. Therapeutic doses of doxorubicin significantly enriched viable eGFP(+)sCSC in both OS (2.6 fold, n = 16) and UPS (2.3 fold, n = 29) compared to untreated controls. Treatment with sorafenib (for OS) and pazopanib (for UPS) also determined enrichment (1.3 fold) of viable eGFP(+)sCSC, even if less intense than what observed after CHT. Sarcoma cells surviving CHT and mTT were efficiently killed in vitro by autologous CIK even at minimal effector/target ratios (40:1 = 82%, 1:4 = 29%, n = 13). CIK immunotherapy did not spare sCSC that were killed as efficiently as whole sarcoma cell population. The relative chemo-resistance of sCSC and sensitivity to CIK immunotherapy was confirmed in vivo. Our findings support CIK as an innovative, clinically explorable, approach to eradicate chemo-resistant sCSC implicated in tumor relapse

Personalize, participate, predict, and prevent: 4Ps in inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a complex, immune-mediated, disorder which leads to several gastrointestinal and systemic manifestations determining a poor quality of life, disability, and other negative health outcomes. Our knowledge of this condition has greatly improved over the last few decades, and a comprehensive management should take into account both biological (i.e., disease-related, patient-related) and non-biological (i.e., socioeconomic, cultural, environmental, behavioral) factors which contribute to the disease phenotype. From this point of view, the so called 4P medicine framework, including personalization, prediction, prevention, and participation could be useful for tailoring ad hoc interventions in IBD patients. In this review, we discuss the cutting-edge issues regarding personalization in special settings (i.e., pregnancy, oncology, infectious diseases), patient participation (i.e., how to communicate, disability, tackling stigma and resilience, quality of care), disease prediction (i.e., faecal markers, response to treatments), and prevention (i.e., dysplasia through endoscopy, infections through vaccinations, and post-surgical recurrence). Finally, we provide an outlook discussing the unmet needs for implementing this conceptual framework in clinical practice