Italianismi lessicali in saho

After a brief characterisation of the Saho language, spoken in Eritrea and some adjoining areas of Tigray, the authors outline a history of the development of literacy in this language from the late XIX century till now. The bulk of this paper consists in the analysis of ca. 300 Italian loanwords collected mainly from (i.) the Saho-English- Italian dictionary published by Vergari & Vergari in 2003, (ii.) Saho school books, (iii.) other supplementary textbooks and the Saho version of the Eritrean Constitution, and (iv.) native speakers of Saho in Eritrea between 2000 and 2007. Most of these loanwords are nouns, but there are also three verbs and nine interjections. Their integration into Saho phonology and morphology are discussed in § 4 together with some features they share with Italian loanwords in Somali and Tigrinya, as well as with the Eritrean Italian pidgin described by Habte-Mariam Marcos (1976). The main semantic fields these loanwords belong to are: mechanic and building technologies, sports, the army, games, clothing, food and other household-related words

Hafnium Oxidation at High Temperature in Steam

To assess the potential impact of using hafnium as absorber material in LWRs in high temperature accidental situations, the oxidation behavior of hafnium was studied up to 1400 °C, i.e. at temperature conditions relevant to severe accidents. Different sample geometries were tested and oxidized in steam/argon mixtures, either in a furnace or in a thermogravimetric analyzer. Metallographic examinations, hydrogen measurements and EPMA oxygen profiles were then performed. For hafnium rods/discs, metallographic examinations showed the presence of a dense and protective oxide film after steam oxidation. No or little hydrogen was detected in the metallic part of the rod/disc specimens. The reaction rate can be described by a parabolic law in the tested temperature range in the mid-to-long term, and the value of the effective activation energy determined from the experimental data in steam is in good agreement with the ones published in the literature. The diffusion coefficient of oxygen in hafnium was estimated at each temperature by fitting the experimental oxygen profile obtained on hafnium rods and its temperature dependence is derived in the temperature range 700-1400 °C. The hafnium claddings produced for the application in integral bundle tests exhibited a lower resistance to steam oxidation than hafnium rods/discs. Metallographic examinations showed a non-protective layer and a significant hydrogen amount was picked up by hafnium claddings. Above 800 °C, the oxidation rate for hafnium claddings follows a cubic to quartic law and the effective activation energy was determined in the temperature range 800-1100 °C. These tests highlighted the influence of the surface conditions on the oxidation rate of hafnium in steam. However, hafnium oxidation rate remains well below the oxidation rate of zirconium alloys in the same temperature range

A criterion for separating process calculi

We introduce a new criterion, replacement freeness, to discern the relative expressiveness of process calculi. Intuitively, a calculus is strongly replacement free if replacing, within an enclosing context, a process that cannot perform any visible action by an arbitrary process never inhibits the capability of the resulting process to perform a visible action. We prove that there exists no compositional and interaction sensitive encoding of a not strongly replacement free calculus into any strongly replacement free one. We then define a weaker version of replacement freeness, by only considering replacement of closed processes, and prove that, if we additionally require the encoding to preserve name independence, it is not even possible to encode a non replacement free calculus into a weakly replacement free one. As a consequence of our encodability results, we get that many calculi equipped with priority are not replacement free and hence are not encodable into mainstream calculi like CCS and pi-calculus, that instead are strongly replacement free. We also prove that variants of pi-calculus with match among names, pattern matching or polyadic synchronization are only weakly replacement free, hence they are separated both from process calculi with priority and from mainstream calculi.Comment: In Proceedings EXPRESS'10, arXiv:1011.601

Maternal-foetal attachment independently predicts the quality of maternal-infant bonding and post-partum psychopathology

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of maternal antenatal attachment and post-partum psychopathology, maternal–infant bonding, while checking for antenatal psychopathology, for lifetime psychiatric diagnosis and for the known risk factors for peripartum depression. Methods: One hundred and six women recruited at the first month of pregnancy (T0) were evaluated with the structured interview for DSM-IV TR (SCID-I) to assess the presence of lifetime psychiatric diagnosis and with the Perinatal Depression Predictor Inventory-Revised (PDPI-R), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). At the sixth month of pregnancy (T1) and at the first month post-partum (T2), all patients were evaluated with the PDPI-R, the EPDS, the STAI, at T1, with the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS), and at T2 with the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS). Results: Multivariate regression analyses showed that maternal–foetal attachment was the variable most significantly associated with postnatal symptoms of depression and anxiety and with quality of maternal-infant attachment. The logistic regression analyses showed that antenatal attachment may predict postnatal depressive and anxiety symptoms (respectively, OR: 0.83–IC [0.74 − 0.95], p =.005, OR: 0.88–IC [0.79 − 0.98], p =.02), and the quality of maternal postnatal attachment (OR: 1.17–IC [1.08 − 1.27], p <.001), also after taking into account the known risk factors for perinatal depression, the sociodemographic variables and lifetime psychiatric diagnosis. Conclusion: The quality of maternal–foetal bonding may independently predict the quality of maternal–infant attachment and post-partum depressive and anxiety symptoms. A comprehensive assessment of maternal risk factors for perinatal psychopathology during pregnancy should include the evaluation of antenatal attachment that could be modifiable by specific interventions promoting the quality of maternal bonding

Identification of histone deacetylase inhibitors with (arylidene)aminoxy scaffold active in uveal melanoma cell lines

Uveal melanoma (UM) represents an aggressive type of cancer and currently, there is no effective treatment for this metastatic disease. In the last years, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) have been studied as a possible therapeutic treatment for UM, alone or in association with other chemotherapeutic agents. Here we synthesised a series of new HDACIs based on the SAHA scaffold bearing an (arylidene)aminoxy moiety. Their HDAC inhibitory activity was evaluated on isolated human HDAC1, 3, 6, and 8 by fluorometric assay and their binding mode in the catalytic site of HDACs was studied by molecular docking. The most promising hit was the quinoline derivative VS13, a nanomolar inhibitor of HDAC6, which exhibited a good antiproliferative effect on UM cell lines at micromolar concentration and a capability to modify the mRNA levels of HDAC target genes similar to that of SAHA

Identification and functional characterization of loss-of-function mutations of the calcium-sensing receptor in four italian kindreds with familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia

Objective: Identification and characterization of calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) mutations in four unrelated Italian kindreds with familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia. Design: Clinical evaluation and genetic analysis of CASR gene. Functional characterization of mutated CASRs. Methods: Direct sequencing of CASR gene in genomic DNA. Studies of CASR-mediated increases in cytosolic calcium concentration [Ca2C]i in CASR-transfected COS-7 cells in vitro. Results: Four unreported heterozygous CASR mutations were identified, including three missense (H595Y, P748H, and C765W) and one splice site (IVS2C1GOC) mutation. The H595Y, P748H, and C765W mutant receptors, although expressed at normal levels on the cell surface, showed a reduced response in [Ca2C]i relative to the wildtype (WT) CASR to increasing extracellular calcium concentrations. Cotransfection experiments showed that the H595Y and P748H mutants did not affect the apparent affinity of the WT CASR for calcium, suggesting that they do not exert a dominant-negative effect. On the other hand, the co-transfected C765W mutant decreased the maximum response of the WT CASR to calcium, suggesting that it may reduce the effective concentration of the normal CASR on the cell surface or impair its maximal signaling capacity. Conclusions: Four CASR mutations were identified. The reduced functional responses to extracellular calcium and normal expression of the mutant receptors suggest that conformational changes account for altered CASR activity. Moreover, a reduced complement of normal CASRs in these heterozygous patients, perhaps combined with a mutant receptor-induced decrease in maximal activity of the WT receptor, may contribute to defective calcium-sensing in vivo.L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore http://www.euro-endo.org/default.asp

Two-step analytical procedure for the characterization and quantification of metal soaps and resinates in paint samples

Metal soaps and resinates are known to be spontaneously formed in artistic paintings, as a product of the reaction between aliphatic and terpenoid acids released by hydrolysis and oxidation of the organic media and certain cations contained in some inorganic pigments. In this paper we present an optimization and the validation of a GC/MS method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of mixtures of terpenoid acids and aliphatic mono and dicarboxylic acids and metal carboxylates of terpenoid and aliphatic mono and dicarboxylic acids in the same paint microsample. This is based on a two-step analytical approach entailing the subsequent use of two silylating agents, N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide for the analysis of free acids and metal carboxylates, and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane for the analysis of free acids. The application of this approach is possible because of the good stability at room temperature of the TMS derivatives of aliphatic and terpenoid species, characterized by high boiling points and relatively low vapour pressures. The method was then applied to the characterization of samples collected from two reference paint layers aged for 20 years, a paint sample taken from a pulpit, and sample of the varnish coating of a wooden writing desk, both from the second half of the seventeenth century

Physical activity for antenatal and postnatal depression in women attempting to quit smoking: randomised controlled trial

Background: Antenatal depression is associated with harmful consequences for both the mother and child. One intervention that might be effective is participation in regular physical activity although data on this question in pregnant smokers is currently lacking. Methods: Women were randomised to six-weekly sessions of smoking cessation behavioural-support, or to the same support plus 14 sessions combining treadmill exercise and physical activity consultations. Results: Among 784 participants (mean gestation 16-weeks), EPDS was significantly higher in the physical activity group versus usual care at end-of-pregnancy (mean group difference (95% confidence intervals (CIs)): 0.95 (0.08 to 1.83). There was no significant difference at six-months postpartum. Conclusion: A pragmatic intervention to increase physical activity in pregnant smokers did not prevent depression at end-of-pregnancy or at six-months postpartum. More effective physical activity interventions are needed in this population. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN48600346. The trial was prospectively registered on 21/07/2008

Women's Preferences for Treatment of Perinatal Depression and Anxiety : A Discrete Choice Experiment

Perinatal depression and anxiety (PNDA) are an international healthcare priority, associated with significant short- and long-term problems for women, their children and families. Effective treatment is available but uptake is suboptimal: some women go untreated whilst others choose treatments without strong evidence of efficacy. Better understanding of women's preferences for treatment is needed to facilitate uptake of effective treatment. To address this issue, a discrete choice experiment (DCE) was administered to 217 pregnant or postnatal women in Australia, who were recruited through an online research company and had similar sociodemographic characteristics to Australian data for perinatal women. The DCE investigated preferences regarding cost, treatment type, availability of childcare, modality and efficacy. Data were analysed using logit-based models accounting for preference and scale heterogeneity. Predicted probability analysis was used to explore relative attribute importance and policy change scenarios, including how these differed by women's sociodemographic characteristics. Cost and treatment type had the greatest impact on choice, such that a policy of subsidising effective treatments was predicted to double their uptake compared with the base case. There were differences in predicted uptake associated with certain sociodemographic characteristics: for example, women with higher educational attainment were more likely to choose effective treatment. The findings suggest policy directions for decision makers whose goal is to reduce the burden of PNDA on women, their children and families