Network Based Educational Environment: How Libraries and Librarians Become Organizers of Knowledge Access and Resources

In this paper we will highlight some important issues which will influence the redefinition of roles and duties of libraries and librarians in a networked based educational environment. Although librarians will also keep their traditional roles of faculty support services as well as reference service and research assistance, we identify the participation in the instructional design process, the support in the evaluation, development and use of a proper authoring system and the customization of information access, as being the domains where libraries and librarians should mainly involve themselves in the next future and make profit of their expertise in information and knowledge organization in order to properly and effectively support the institutions in the use of Information Technology in education

Effect of a cognitive training program on the platelet app ratio in patients with alzheimer’s disease

In patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), synaptic plasticity seems to be involved in cognitive improvement induced by cognitive training. The platelet amyloid precursor protein (APP) ratio (APPr), i.e., the ratio between two APP isoforms, may be a useful peripheral biomarker to investigate synaptic plasticity pathways. This study evaluates the changes in neuropsychological/cognitive performance and APPr induced by cognitive training in AD patients participating in the “My Mind Project”. Neuropsychological/cognitive variables and APPr were evaluated in the trained group (n = 28) before a two-month experimental protocol, immediately after its termination at follow-up 1 (FU1), after 6 months at follow-up 2 (FU2), and after 24 months at follow-up 3 (FU3). The control group (n = 31) received general psychoeducational training for two months. Some memory and attention parameters were significantly improved in trained vs. control patients at FU1 and FU2 compared to baseline (∆ values). At FU3, APPr and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores decreased in trained patients. ∆ APPr correlated significantly with the ∆ scores of (i) MMSE at FU1, (ii) the prose memory test at FU2, and (iii) Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), the semantic word fluency test, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and the attentive matrices test at FU3. Our data demonstrate that the platelet APPr correlates with key clinical variables, thereby proving that it may be a reliable biomarker of brain function in AD patients

Default Probability Estimation via Pair Copula Constructions

In this paper we present a novel Bayesian approach for default probability estimation. The methodology is based on multivariate contingent claim analysis and pair copula theory. Balance sheet data are used to asses the rm value and to compute its default probability. The rm pricing function is obtained via a pair copula approach, and Monte Carlo simulations are used to calculate the default probability distribution. The methodology is illustrated through an application to defaulted rms data

Comparative Evaluation of the Collection Efficiency of Seven Different Air Samplers to Monitor Airborne Viable Microorganisms

The study describes the results of a series of comparative experiments aimed at determining the differences in the ability to collect bacteria and fungi colonies by seven different impaction air samplers. The tests were performed simultaneously under identical environmental conditions in a \u201cclean\u201d room routinely used for cell culture or in a biochemistry room generally used for chemical experiments in the microbiological research laboratory of the University of Milan. The air flow in the rooms was switched-off for all the time of the experiments. The seven different air samplers were positioned on a cart, side by side, and operated simultaneously to collect 1m3 of atmosphere each. The results demonstrated that the numbers of airborne microorganisms impacted on TSA-containing Petri dishes, and grown as single colonies (CFU/m3), were different for each air sampler, although the difference was not statistically significant. Head to head tests were also performed with two identical TRIO.BAS apparatuses calibrated to 100 or 200 litres of aspirated air per minute. This test aimed at determining if a shorter aspiration time could negatively influence the cell viability and/or the bacterial concentration in the bioaerosol, as determined by counting the number of CFU/m3. The data ruled out this possibility and suggest that an aspiration time of 200 litres per minute might save time, especially when a repeated air sampling is mandatory for the control of sterility in virology laboratory \u201cclean rooms\u201d, pharmaceutical manufacturing areas and surgical rooms in the hospitals

Current trends in ATRA delivery for cancer therapy

All-Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) is the most active metabolite of vitamin A. It is critically involved in the regulation of multiple processes, such as cell differentiation and apoptosis, by activating specific genomic pathways or by influencing key signaling proteins. Furthermore, mounting evidence highlights the anti-tumor activity of this compound. Notably, oral administration of ATRA is the first choice treatment in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) in adults and NeuroBlastoma (NB) in children. Regrettably, the promising results obtained for these diseases have not been translated yet into the clinics for solid tumors. This is mainly due to ATRA-resistance developed by cancer cells and to ineffective delivery and targeting. This up-to-date review deals with recent studies on different ATRA-loaded Drug Delivery Systems (DDSs) development and application on several tumor models. Moreover, patents, pre-clinical, and clinical studies are also reviewed. To sum up, the main aim of this in-depth review is to provide a detailed overview of the several attempts which have been made in the recent years to ameliorate ATRA delivery and targeting in cancer

Removal of enteric viruses and Escherichia coli from municipal treated effluent by zebra mussels

Dreissena polymorpha is a widespread filter-feeder species, resistant to a broad range of environmental conditions and different types of pollutants, which has recently colonized Italian freshwaters. Although widely used to monitor pollution in freshwater environments, this species is also an important food source for some fish and water birds. It can also be used to concentrate or remove particulate organic matter to interrupt avian-to-human transmission of pollutants and control health risks for animals and humans. In this study, the accumulation/inactivation in D. polymorpha of human health-related spiked enteric viruses was described. The removal of endogenous Escherichia coli, the classical indicator of fecal contamination, was tested as well. Our preliminary lab-scale results demonstrate that zebra mussels can reduce significantly poliovirus titer after 24 h and rotavirus titer after 8 h. E. coli counts were also reduced in the presence of zebra mussels by about 1.5 log after 4 h and nearly completely after 24 h. The fate of the two enteric viruses after concentration by zebra mussels was also investigated after mechanical disruption of the tissues. To our knowledge, the accumulation from water and inactivation of human health-related enteric viruses by zebra mussels has never been reported