THE SANSEVERO CHAPEL, A THREE-DIMENSIONAL POINT OF VIEW

Abstract. In this article, the importance of the three-dimensional survey in architectural spaces will be studied, taking special relevance in the study of the perception of perspective, since three-dimensional space would not be understood from a two-dimensional representation of space. The project aims to develop a comparison between the representation systems based on the automatic acquisition of various data by different 3D survey techniques. In particular, the document reports the results of an analysis based on the Sansevero Chapel in Naples.</p

Calcium signaling in a low calcium environment: how the intracellular malaria parasite solves the problem

Malaria parasites, Plasmodia, spend most of their asexual life cycle within red blood cells, where they proliferate and mature. The erythrocyte cytoplasm has very low [Ca2+] (<100 nM), which is very different from the extracellular environment encountered by most eukaryotic cells. The absence of extracellular Ca2+ is usually incompatible with normal cell functions and survival. In the present work, we have tested the possibility that Plasmodia overcome the limitation posed by the erythrocyte intracellular environment through the maintenance of a high [Ca2+] within the parasitophorous vacuole (PV), the compartment formed during invasion and within which the parasites grow and divide. Thus, Plasmodia were allowed to invade erythrocytes in the presence of Ca2+ indicator dyes. This allowed selective loading of the Ca2+ probes within the PV. The [Ca2+] within this compartment was found to be ∼40 μM, i.e., high enough to be compatible with a normal loading of the Plasmodia intracellular Ca2+ stores, a prerequisite for the use of a Ca2+-based signaling mechanism. We also show that reduction of extracellular [Ca2+] results in a slow depletion of the [Ca2+] within the PV. A transient drop of [Ca2+] in the PV for a period as short as 2 h affects the maturation process of the parasites within the erythrocytes, with a major reduction 48 h later in the percentage of schizonts, the form that re-invades the red blood cells

Proposal of a methodology for implementing a service-oriented architecture in distributed manufacturing systems

As envisioned by Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS), Next Generation Manufacturing Systems (NGMS) will satisfy the needs of an increasingly fast-paced and demanding market by dynamically integrating systems from inside and outside the manufacturing firm itself into a so-called extended enterprise. However, organizing these systems to ensure the maximum flexibility and interoperability with those from other organizations is difficult. Additionally, a defect in the system would have a great impact: it would affect not only its owner, but also its partners. For these reasons, we argue that a service-oriented architecture (SOA) would be a good candidate. It should be designed following a methodology where services play a central role, instead of being an implementation detail. In order for the architecture to be reliable enough as a whole, the methodology will need to help find errors before they arise in a production environment. In this paper we propose using SOA-specific testing techniques, compare some of the existing methodologies and outline several extensions upon one of them to integrate testing techniques

Comparison of individual-level and population-level risk factors for rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma, and eczema in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Three

Background Symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and atopic eczema in children cluster at both the individual and population levels. Objectives To assess individual-level and school-level risk factors for symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis and compare them to corresponding associations with symptoms of asthma and eczema in Phase Three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Methods We studied 116,863 children aged 6–7 years from 2163 schools in 59 centres and 22 countries and 224,436 adolescents aged 13–14 years from 2037 schools in 97 centres in 41 countries. Multilevel logistic regression models were fitted with random intercepts for school, centre, and country, adjusting for sex and maternal education at the child level. Associations between symptoms and a range of lifestyle and environmental risk factors were assessed for both the child's exposure and mean exposure at the school. Models were fitted for rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma, and eczema singly (unimorbidity) and for combinations of these conditions (multimorbidity). Results Generally, associations between symptoms and exposures at the school level were similar in direction and magnitude to those at the child level. Associations with multimorbidity were stronger than for unimorbidity, particularly in individuals with symptoms of all three diseases, but risk factor associations found in conventional single disease analyses persisted among children with only one condition, after excluding multimorbid groups. Comparisons of individuals with only one disease showed that many risk factor associations were consistent across the three conditions. More strongly associated with asthma were low birthweight, cat exposure in infancy, and current maternal smoking. Current paracetamol use was more strongly associated with asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis than eczema. Breastfeeding was more strongly associated with eczema than asthma or rhinoconjunctivitis. The direction and magnitude of most risk factor associations were similar in affluent and non-affluent countries, although notable exceptions include farm animal contact in infancy and larger sibships, which were associated with increased risk of rhinoconjunctivitis in non-affluent countries but reduced risk in affluent countries. In both age groups, current paracetamol use increased risk of each disease to a greater extent in affluent countries than in non-affluent countries. Effects of paracetamol and antibiotics in infancy were more consistent between richer and poorer settings. Conclusions Most of the environmental and lifestyle correlates of rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma and eczema in childhood display similarity across the three conditions, even in less affluent settings where allergic sensitisation is less likely to explain the concordant epidemiological patterns

Evaluation of the effect of hypothermia by cold water immersion on blood neutrophils and lymphocytes of rats submitted to acute exercise

O estresse sistêmico induzido pelo exercício libera substâncias bioativas determinantes da mobilização neutrofílica. A crioterapia diminui a reação inflamatória e atenua a elevação da perfusão sanguínea induzida pelo exercício. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a influência da hipotermia decorrente da crioimersão corporal (CIC) imediata ao esforço físico agudo nas concentrações neutrofílicas e linfocíticas no sangue. Os ratos do grupo controle (AI) foram mantidos em repouso enquanto os do grupo AII foram submetidos ao protocolo de CIC a 10ºC por 10 minutos. Enquanto os animais dos grupos BI, BII, BIII e BIV realizaram o esforço físico agudo (EFA) em água a 31ºC durante 100 minutos com sobrecarga corpórea de 5% do peso corporal, os dos grupos CI, CII, CIII e CIV foram submetidos ao EFA seguido imediatamente de CIC. Nos grupos B e C, os animais foram sacrificados nos períodos de 06 (I), 12 (II), 24 (III) e 48 (IV) horas posteriores ao EFA. Através da microscopia óptica realizou-se a contagem dos neutrófilos e linfócitos. Utilizou-se do Teste T Student para análise estatística considerando-se nível de significância p < 0,05. Observou-se uma significativa neutrofilia nos grupos AII, BI, BII, BIII, BIV, CI, CII e CIII em relação a AI, diferentemente do grupo CIV, que apresentou quantidade de neutrófilos igual ao grupo controle. Os valores de linfócitos nos grupos BII, BIII, BIV, CI e CII foram significativamente menores do que AI, e nos grupos AII, BI, CIII e CIV foram iguais a AI. A neutrofilia e a linfopenia posteriores ao intenso exercício agudo são mantidas por 48 horas ou mais, porém, mediante a aplicação da crioimersão corporal imediata ao exercício, são normalizadas em 24 horas.Systemic stress induced by exercise increases bioactive substances in plasma which leads to neutrophilic mobilization. Cryotherapy causes a decrease in the inflammatory reaction and attenuates high blood perfusion after exercise. The objective of this work was to analyze the influence of cold water immersion (CWI) after acute exercise on neutrophil and lymphocyte mobilization. A control group of rats (AI) was kept at rest and a second group (AII) was submitted to CWI at 10º C for 10 minutes. The animals of Groups BI, BII, BIII and BIV were submitted to acute exercise which consisted in swimming in water at 31º C for 100 minutes with a load equivalent to 5% of the body weight. Groups CI, CII, CIII and CIV were submitted to CWI immediately after acute exercise. The animals were sacrificed at 6 (I), 12 (II), 24 (III) and 48 (IV) hours after the exercise and neutrophil and lymphocyte cells were counted for all groups by optic microscopy. The Student t-test was used for statistical analysis with a significance level of p< 0.05. A significant increase in the number of neutrophils was observed in Groups AII, BI, BII, BIII, BIV, CI, CII and CIII compared to AI. The neutrophil count of the CIV Group was similar to the Control Group. There was a significant drop in the number of lymphocytes in Groups BII, BIII, BIV, CI and CII when compared to Group AI. The lymphocyte count of Groups AII, BI, CIII and CIV were similar to the Control Group. The changes in neutrophil and lymphocyte counts caused by acute exercise were reverted to normal at 24 hours by cold water immersion

Prospective monitoring and self-report of previous falls among older women at high risk of falls and fractures : a study of comparison and agreement

Background: the identification of the occurrence of falls is an important step for screening and for rehabilitation processes for the elderly. The methods of monitoring these events are susceptible to recording biases, and the choice of the most accurate method remains challenging. Objectives: (i) to investigate the agreement between retrospective self-reporting and prospective monitoring of methods of recording falls, and (ii) to compare the retrospective self-reporting of falls and the prospective monitoring of falls and recurrent falls over a 12-month period among older women at high risk of falls and fractures. Method: a total of 118 community-dwelling older women with low bone density were recruited. The incidence of falls was monitored prospectively in 116 older women (2 losses) via monthly phone calls over the course of a year. At the end of this monitoring period, the older women were asked about their recall of falls in the same 12-month period. The agreement between the two methods was analyzed, and the sensitivity and specificity of self-reported previous falls in relation to the prospective monitoring were calculated. Results: there was moderate agreement between the prospective monitoring and the retrospective self-reporting of falls in classifying fallers (Kappa=0.595) and recurrent fallers (Kappa=0.589). The limits of agreement were 0.35±1.66 falls. The self-reporting of prior falls had a 67.2% sensitivity and a 94.2% specificity in classifying fallers among older women and a 50% sensitivity and a 98.9% specificity in classifying recurrent fallers. Conclusion: self-reporting of falls over a 12-month period underestimated 32.8% of falls and 50% of recurrent falls. The findings recommend caution if one is considering replacing monthly monitoring with annual retrospective questioning

Viruses that affect Argentinian honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Beekeeping is a widespread activity in Argentina, mainly producing honey that has gained both national and international recognition. There are more than 3,000,000 hives in the country, mainly concentrated in Buenos Aires Province (approximately 1,000,000 hives). In recent decades, worrying rates of hive loss have been observed in many countries around the world. In Latin America, the estimated loss of hives is between 13% (Peru and Ecuador) and 53% (Chile). Argentina had annual losses of 34% for the period of October 1, 2016 to October 1, 2017. The causes of these losses are not clear but probably involve multiple stressors that can act simultaneously. One of the main causes of loss of bee colonies worldwide is infestation by the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor in combination with viral infections. To date, 10 viruses have been detected that affect honey bees (Apis mellifera) in Argentina. Of these, deformed wing virus, sacbrood virus, acute bee paralysis virus, chronic bee paralysis virus, and Israeli acute bee paralysis can be transmitted by mites. Deformed wing virus and the AIK complex are the viruses most often associated with loss of hives worldwide. Considering that bee viruses have been detected in Argentina in several hymenopteran and non-hymenopteran insects, these hosts could act as important natural reservoirs for viruses and play an important role in their dispersal in the environment. Further studies to investigate the different mechanisms by which viruses spread in the environment will enable us to develop various strategies for the control of infected colonies and the spread of viruses in the habitat where they are found.Fil: Salina, Marcos Daniel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Ministerio de Ciencia. Tecnología e Innovación Productiva. Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica; ArgentinaFil: Genchi Garcia, María L.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Bais, Bárbara Belén. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Bravi, Maria Emilia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Brasesco, Maria Constanza. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción, Sanidad y Ambiente - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción, Sanidad y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Maggi, Matías Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción, Sanidad y Ambiente - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción, Sanidad y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Pecoraro, Marcelo Ricardo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Larsen, Alejandra Edith. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Sguazza, Guillermo Hernán. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Reynaldi, Francisco José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentin

Short-term effectiveness of a mobile phone app for increasing physical activity and adherence to the mediterranean diet in primary care: A randomized controlled trial (EVIDENT II study)

Background: The use of mobile phone apps for improving lifestyles has become generalized in the population, although little is still known about their effectiveness in improving health. Objective: We evaluate the effect of adding an app to standard counseling on increased physical activity (PA) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet, 3 months after implementation. Methods: A randomized, multicenter clinical trial was carried out. A total of 833 participants were recruited in six primary care centers in Spain through random sampling: 415 in the app+counseling group and 418 in the counseling only group. Counseling on PA and the Mediterranean diet was given to both groups. The app+counseling participants additionally received training in the use of an app designed to promote PA and the Mediterranean diet over a 3-month period. PA was measured with the 7-day Physical Activity Recall (PAR) questionnaire and an accelerometer; adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener questionnaire. Results: Participants were predominantly female in both the app+counseling (249/415, 60.0%) and counseling only (268/418, 64.1%) groups, with a mean age of 51.4 (SD 12.1) and 52.3 (SD 12.0) years, respectively. Leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by 7-day PAR increased in the app+counseling (mean 29, 95% CI 5-53 min/week; P=.02) but not in the counseling only group (mean 17.4, 95% CI ''18 to 53 min/week; P=.38). No differences in increase of activity were found between the two groups. The accelerometer recorded a decrease in PA after 3 months in both groups: MVPA mean ''55.3 (95% CI ''75.8 to ''34.9) min/week in app+counseling group and mean ''30.1 (95% CI ''51.8 to ''8.4) min/week in counseling only group. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet increased in both groups (8.4% in app+counseling and 10.4% in counseling only group), with an increase in score of 0.42 and 0.53 points, respectively (P<.001), but no difference between groups (P=.86). Conclusions: Leisure-time MVPA increased more in the app+counseling than counseling only group, although no difference was found when comparing the increase between the two groups. Counseling accompanied by printed materials appears to be effective in improving adherence to the Mediterranean diet, although the app does not increase adherence