Illegal Immigration into Italy: Evidence from a field survey

The Survey on illegal migration in Italy (SIMI henceforth) aims to analyse the phenomenon of clandestines migrating to or through Italy. SIMI contains information concerning the main demographic, economic and social characteristics of a sample of 920 clandestines crossing Italian borders and apprehended during 2003. Migrants' motivations, intention to send remittance and expectations about the future are collected within SIMI and reported in this paper.

The ribbed drapery of the Puerto Princesa Underground River (Palawan, Philippines): morphology and genesis

During the 2011 speleological expedition to the Puerto Princesa Underground River (Palawan, Philippines) a drapery characterized by several close-to-horizontal ribs has been noticed. Even without sampling and analyzing its internal growth layers, a detailed morphological study allowed to present a possible genetic model. The presented model helps to explain its evolution, which is mainly controlled by variation in water flow as a consequence of the Palawan climate. When validated by further analyses, the same genetic mechanism could define also the evolution of the very common but still unexplained complex flowstones, which exhibit several close-to-horizontal steps, widenings and narrowings along their growth axis

Safety and Efficacy of Perampanel as Adjunctive Therapy in Patients with Refractory Focal Epilepsy Over 12 Months: Clinical Experience in a Real-World Setting

Abstract Background The main purpose of this study is to assess efficacy and tolerability of perampanel (PER), a noncompetitive α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor antagonist, as an add-on treatment in adult patients with refractory focal-onset seizures. Patients and Methods A prospective, open label, observational study was conducted in patients with refractory focal-onset seizures treated with PER at our Epilepsy Unit, from May 2015 to February 2016. Patients were followed up for 1 year. Frequency of seizure and tolerability was assessed every 3 months. Patients were under a polytherapy, and the mean number of concomitant antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) at PER initiation was 2.9. Results We consecutively enrolled 52 patients (M/F = 18/34). Three were lost on follow-up. Mean age was 38.7 years, with a mean duration of disease of 28.1 years. After 1 year of treatment, 57.14% reported a 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency; five (10.21%) were seizure free. Six (12.25%) patients reported a reduction lower than 50%. Mean dosage of PER was 7.57 mg. Thirty-one patients were taking enzyme-inducing AEDs (carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin). In this subgroup, the responder rate was 45.2%. Twenty-one patients reported side-effects, most frequently somnolence (11), vertigo/ataxia (6), and aggressiveness (5). Eleven (22.4%) patients reduced or discontinued at least one concomitant AED, while the electroencephalography improved in four (8.16%). Sixteen (32.65%) patients withdrew PER, after a mean duration of 163 days, the mean dosage being 6.4 mg (range 4–12). Conclusions Adjunctive PER can achieve clinically meaningful improvement, or even seizure freedom, in almost two-thirds of patients suffering from refractory focal-onset epilepsies. It seems similarly safe and well-tolerated. Enzyme-inducing AEDs may limit the efficacy of PER

Correlation between oesophageal acid exposure and dyspeptic symptoms in patients with nonerosive reflux disease.

Oesophageal acidification induces dyspeptic symptoms in healthy individuals. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between oesophageal acid exposure and dyspeptic symptoms in patients with nonerosive reflux disease. METHODS: A total of 68 patients with dominant symptoms of heartburn, negative upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and concomitant dyspeptic symptoms participated in the study. The severity of dyspepsia and reflux-related symptoms was evaluated, and 24-h gastro-oesophageal pH-monitoring study was performed in all patients at baseline and after 4 weeks of therapy with esomeprazole 40 mg. RESULTS: Oesophageal basal acid exposure was pathological in 43 patients and normal in 25 patients, with a similar prevalence and severity of individual dyspeptic symptoms in the two groups. A significant correlation between reflux and dyspepsia scores was observed in the subgroup of patients with normal, but not in those with abnormal pHmetry (r=0.4, P=0.04 and r=0.2 P=0.07, respectively). After esomeprazole, a reduction in severity of dyspepsia (>or=50% with respect to baseline) was observed, independent of improvement of reflux-associated symptoms. Improvement in dyspepsia was, however, similar in patients with normal and abnormal basal acid exposure (14/25 vs. 33/43, respectively, P=NS). CONCLUSION: Dyspeptic symptoms coexist in a subset of nonerosive reflux disease patients, but prevalence and severity of the symptoms seems to be independent of oesophageal acid exposure

Groups with normality conditions for subgroups of infinite rank

A well-known theorem of B. H. Neumann states that a group has finite conjugacy classes of subgroups if and only if it is central-by-finite. It is proved here that if G is a generalized radical group of infinite rank in which the conjugacy classes of subgroups of infinite rank are finite, then every subgroup of G has finitely many conjugates, and so G=Z(G) is finite. Corresponding results are proved for groups in which every subgroup of infinite rank has fiznite index in its normal closure, and for those in which every subgroup of infinite rank is finite over its core

CROSS FERTILIZATION: UM DIRECIONAMENTO PARA A INOVAÇÃO

O artigo discute a dinâmica da cross fertilization, que remete ao contexto das relações de contiguidade entre diferentes áreas do conhecimento. Identificam-se princípios condutores comuns que direcionam o pensamento projetual, bem como elementos que agem como ativadores de transferências de conhecimento e facilitadores de processos de geração inovativos. O argumento abordado no decorrer do estudo comprova, mediante a análise das relações que se estabelecem entre os distintos setores, que é dentro das zonas de fronteira – aquele campo de intersecção que pode ser gerado entre uma área disciplinar e outra, que de fato são ativadas as dinâmicas que facilitam o surgimento de processos de inovação significativos.The article deals with the product development process guided by the dynamics of the cross-fertilization, which leads to the context of contiguity relations between different areas of knowledge. Principles common conductors are identified to drive architectural design thinking as well as elements that act as enablers of knowledge transfer and facilitators of innovative generation processes. The argument discussed in the course of this study proves, by analyzing the relationships established between the different sectors that is within the border areas - that intersection field that can be generated from a subject area to another, which in fact activates the dynamics that facilitate the emergence of significant innovation processes

Touch sensor for social robots and interactive objects affective interaction

The recognised importance of physical experience in empathic exchanges has led to the development of touch sensors for human–robot affective interaction. Most of these sensors, implemented as matrix of pressure sensors, are rigid, cannot be fabricated in complex shapes, cannot be subjected to large deformations, and usually allow to capture only the contact event, without any information about the interaction context. This paper presents a tactile flux sensor able to capture the entire context of the interaction including gestures and patterns. The sensor is made of alternate layers of sensitive and insulating silicone: the soft nature of the sensor makes it adaptable to complex and deformable bodies. The main features from electrical signals are extracted with the principal component analysis, and a self-organising neural network is in charge for the classification and spatial identification of the events to acknowledge and measure the gesture. The results open to interesting applications, which span from toy manufacturing, to human-robot interaction, and even to sport and biomedical equipment and applications

Piezoelectric effect and electroactive phase nucleation in self-standing films of unpoled PVDF nanocomposite films

Novel polymer-based piezoelectric nanocomposites with enhanced electromechanical properties open new opportunities for the development of wearable energy harvesters and sensors. This paper investigates how the dissolution of different types of hexahydrate metal salts affects β-phase content and piezoelectric response (d33) at nano-and macroscales of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanocomposite films. The strongest enhancement of the piezoresponse is observed in PVDF nanocomposites processed with Mg(NO3)2·6H2O. The increased piezoresponse is attributed to the synergistic effect of the dipole moment associated with the nucleation of the electroactive phase and with the electrostatic interaction between the CF2group of PVDF and the dissolved salt through hydrogen bonding. The combination of nanofillers like graphene nanoplatelets or zinc oxide nanorods with the hexahydrate salt dissolution in PVDF results in a dramatic reduction of d33, because the nanofiller assumes a competitive role with respect to H-bond formation between PVDF and the dissolved metal salt. The measured peak value of d33reaches the local value of 13.49 pm/V, with an average of 8.88 pm/V over an area of 1 cm2. The proposed selection of metal salt enables low-cost production of piezoelectric PVDF nanocomposite films, without electrical poling or mechanical stretching, offering new opportunities for the development of devices for energy harvesting and wearable sensors

Molecular Imprinting Strategies for Tissue Engineering Applications: A Review

Tissue Engineering (TE) represents a promising solution to fabricate engineered constructs able to restore tissue damage after implantation. In the classic TE approach, biomaterials are used alongside growth factors to create a scaffolding structure that supports cells during the construct maturation. A current challenge in TE is the creation of engineered constructs able to mimic the complex microenvironment found in the natural tissue, so as to promote and guide cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation. In this context, the introduction inside the scaffold of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs)-synthetic receptors able to reversibly bind to biomolecules-holds great promise to enhance the scaffold-cell interaction. In this review, we analyze the main strategies that have been used for MIP design and fabrication with a particular focus on biomedical research. Furthermore, to highlight the potential of MIPs for scaffold-based TE, we present recent examples on how MIPs have been used in TE to introduce biophysical cues as well as for drug delivery and sequestering