26 research outputs found

    Validation of an adapted Italian-language version of the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3), within a female population: the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire - Social Media (SATAQ-SM)

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    Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-Social Media (SATAQ-SM) is a self-administered questionnaire for the evaluation of social media pressure and internalization of beauty standards. This study aims to validate the SATAQ-SM an adapted Italian version of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire third version (SATAQ-3). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate whether the empirical data fitted the four-factor structure of SATAQ-3. Assessment of goodness-of-fit was based on standard model fit criteria: relative chi(2) value (chi(2)/df), Root Mean-Squared Error of Approximation (RMSEA), Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI). Internal consistency was assessed using McDonald's omega. Criterion validity was calculated by correlating the SATAQ-SM factors scores with the total score of the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Four-hundred and eighty-five females agreed to participate in the study. The four-factor model appears to be confirmed by the fit indices: chi(2)/df = 3.73, RMSEA = 0.07, CFI = 0.99 and TLI = 0.99. All the items defining the four factors had a factor loading of >= 0.40. McDonald's omega of the entire questionnaire was equal to 0.95 and for the four subscales it did not assume values lower than 0.81. The correlations between the factor score of SATAQ-SM and the RSES were all negative and statistically relevant (p < 0.001); the correlations between the scores of the SATAQ-SM subscales and the total score of the EAT-26 are all positive and statistically significant. SATAQ-SM demonstrated good psychometric properties to assess the influence of social media on body image perception related to social media

    Reconstruction and thermal stability of the cubic SiC(001) surfaces

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    The (001) surfaces of cubic SiC were investigated with ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations. We show that C-terminated surfaces can have different c(2x2) and p(2x1) reconstructions, depending on preparation conditions and thermal treatment, and we suggest experimental probes to identify the various reconstructed geometries. Furthermore we show that Si-terminated surfaces exhibit a p(2x1) reconstruction at T=0, whereas above room temperature they oscillate between a dimer row and an ideal geometry below 500 K, and sample several patterns including a c(4x2) above 500 K.Comment: 12 pages, RevTeX, figures 1 and 2 available in gif form at http://irrmawww.epfl.ch/fg/sic/fig1.gif and http://irrmawww.epfl.ch/fg/sic/fig2.gi

    Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in patients with decompensated cirrhosis: a case series

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    Objectives: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) incidence is increasing in people without HIV. Decompensated liver cirrhosis is not currently considered a risk factor for PCP. The aim of this paper is to describe a case series of patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis and PCP. Methods: All consecutive patients hospitalized with decompensated cirrhosis and microbiology-confirmed PCP at Policlinico Modena University Hospital from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2021 were included in our series. Results: Eight patients were included. All patients had advanced-stage liver disease with a model for end-stage liver disease score above 15 (6/8 above 20). Four were on an active orthotopic liver transplant waiting list at the time of PCP diagnosis. Five patients did not have any traditional risk factor for PCP, whereas the other three were on glucocorticoid treatment for acute-on-chronic liver failure. All patients were treated with cotrimoxazole, except two who died before the diagnosis. Five patients died (62.5%), four of them within 30 days from PCP diagnosis. Of the remaining three, one patient underwent liver transplantation. Conclusion: Although further studies are needed, liver cirrhosis can be an independent risk factor for PCP in patients with decompensated cirrhosis that is mainly due to severe alcoholic hepatitis and who are on corticosteroids therapy, and primary prophylaxis for PCP should be considered

    Molecular determinants of target cell recognition by human γδ T Cells

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    Copyright: © 2018 Simões, Di Lorenzo and Silva-Santos. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.The unique capabilities of gamma-delta (γδ) T cells to recognize cells under stressed conditions, particularly infected or transformed cells, and killing them or regulating the immune response against them, paved the way to the development of promising therapeutic strategies for cancer and infectious diseases. From a mechanistic standpoint, numerous studies have unveiled a remarkable flexibility of γδ T cells in employing their T cell receptor and/or NK cell receptors for target cell recognition, even if the relevant ligands often remain uncertain. Here, we review the accumulated knowledge on the diverse mechanisms of target cell recognition by γδ T cells, focusing on human γδ T cells, to provide an integrated perspective of their therapeutic potential in cancer and infectious diseases.We acknowledge funding from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/DTP-PIC/4931/2014 to BS-S; and PD/BD/105880/2014 to BL). This publication was sponsored by LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-007391, project cofunded by FEDER, through POR Lisboa 2020—Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa, PORTUGAL 2020, and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Parametric instability of belts: theory and experiments

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    In this paper, the dynamic stability of a power transmission belt excited by an eccentric pulley is investigated. A theoretical model is developed to predict the belt response: simply supported boundary conditions are considered, neglecting the pulley curvature, and including the effect of the lower belt span. The transverse displacement field is expanded into sine series and the Galerkin method is applied to reduce the partial differential equation (PDE) into a set of ordinary differential equations. In order to forecast the belt response, the elastic characteristics only of the belt must be provided to the theoretical model. An experimental investigation is performed on a belt-pulley system with a pulley eccentricity; a laser displacement transducer is used to measure the transverse displacement. The combination of a direct and a parametric excitation is analyzed in detail. Interesting post-critical nonlinear dynamic behaviors are found: sub-harmonic responses and quasi-periodic motions seem to coexist, depending on the initial conditions. Experiments confirm the numerical results, thus validating the present theoretical model. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

    Parametric instability of belts: theory and experiments

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    In this paper, the dynamic stability of a power transmission belt excited by an eccentric pulley is investigated. A theoretical model is developed to predict the belt response: simply supported boundary conditions are considered, neglecting the pulley curvature, and including the effect of the lower belt span. The transverse displacement field is expanded into sine series and the Galerkin method is applied to reduce the partial differential equation (PDE) into a set of ordinary differential equations. In order to forecast the belt response, the elastic characteristics only of the belt must be provided to the theoretical model. An experimental investigation is performed on a belt-pulley system with a pulley eccentricity; a laser displacement transducer is used to measure the transverse displacement. The combination of a direct and a parametric excitation is analyzed in detail. Interesting post-critical nonlinear dynamic behaviors are found: sub-harmonic responses and quasi-periodic motions seem to coexist, depending on the initial conditions. Experiments confirm the numerical results, thus validating the present theoretical model

    Dynamic Stability of a Pipe Subjected to a Pulsating Flow

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    Power transmission pipes are widely present in industrial applications. Moreover, the physical and mathematical model describing the dynamics of a pipe is similar to that of many mechanical systems such as heat exchangers high-speed magnetic tapes, band saw blades, aerial cable threadlines, and sheet production processes. All previous systems are axially moving systems. The dynamic behaviour of an axially moving system is greatly influenced from the presence of the internal flowing fluid, which affects the pipes dynamics and stability. When a critical value of the axial speed is reached, the first linear natural frequency vanishes; the straight equilibrium position loses stability and bifurcates into new equilibrium states. In the sub-critical speed range, all natural frequencies decrease as the axial speed increases and the vibration modes are complex. In actual operating conditions, pipe lines are subjected to many external disturbances, such as external excitations or dynamic disturbances exerted by the flow fluctuations induced by a volumetric pump. Some example of pump-pipes interactions can be found in literature, that highlight the great influence of pump irregularity on lines stability and system noising. When an oscillating external excitation causes a resonance, very dangerous conditions can be met and the axially moving continuum can undergo to catastrophic failures. The presence of an internal flow can cause divergence and flutter type instabilities. The fluid structures interaction analysis requires a deep investigation of the internal velocity fiel

    Integrating Personal and Pro-Environmental Motives to Explain Italian Women’s Purchase of Sustainable Clothing

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    Despite increased knowledge of the impact of clothing production on the environment, the general public still has a low intention to purchase sustainable clothing. The present study analyzed the psychosocial predictors of Italian women’s intention to purchase sustainable clothing, proposing an integration of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) approaches. Participants (N = 286) filled in a self-report online questionnaire, measuring Italian women’s intention to purchase sustainable clothing, as well as TPB variables, such as subjective norm, attitude, and perceived behavioral control, and VBN variables, such as egoistic and biospheric values, awareness of consequences, and personal norm. Results of structural equation modeling showed that the TPB + VBN integrated model predicted women’s intention to purchase sustainable clothing. Personal norm and attitude were the strongest predictors of intention. Mediation analyses showed the indirect impact of the VBN chain (from values to moral norm) on intention. Discussion focusses on the psychosocial dimensions that public policy, non-governmental organizations, and clothing companies should consider when promoting the purchase of sustainable clothing

    Interaction of Water Molecules with SiC(001) Surfaces

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