Seed germination report for Limonium merxmuelleri subsp. merxmuelleri (Plumbaginaceae)

The present report illustrates the first germination data of Limonium merxmuelleri subsp. merxmuelleri, a pioneer species of mine waste materials of Iglesiente region (South-West Sardinia). After harvesting, seeds were subjected to germination tests at the Sardinian Germplasm Bank (BG-SAR). The results show a high germination capability and germination rate at each tested temperature, with a slight germination reduction at the highest temperature (25°C) that simulates the aridity of the summer period

Nationwide analysis of open groin hernia repairs in Italy from 2015 to 2020

Introduction: Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed operations in general surgery. A total of 130.000 inguinal hernia repairs are performed yearly in Italy, and approximately 20 million inguinal hernias are treated worldwide annually. This report represents the trend analysis in inguinal hernia repair in Italy from a nationwide dataset for the 6-year period from 2015 to 2020. Materials and methods: Based on regional hospital discharge records, all the inguinal hernia repairs performed in public and private hospitals in Italy between 2015 and 2020 were reviewed based on diagnosis and procedure codes. For the aim of this study, data from the AgeNas (The National Agency for Regional Health Services) data source were analyzed. Results: Elective inguinal hernia repairs outnumbered urgent operations over the 6-year study period, ranging from 122,737 operations in 2015 to 65,780 in 2020 as absolute numbers, and from 87.96 to 83.3% of total procedures in 2019 and 2020 respectively, with an annual change ranging from - 66.58%, between 2020 and 2019, to - 2.49%, between 2019 and 2018 (mean = - 18.74%; CI =- 46.7%-9.22%; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: This large-scale review of groin hernia data from a nationwide Italian dataset provides a unique opportunity to obtain a snapshot of open groin hernia repair activity. More specifically, there is a trend to perform more elective than urgent procedures and there is a steady decrease in the amount of open hernia repairs in favor to laparoscopy

Ensembling and Dynamic Asset Selection for Risk-Controlled Statistical Arbitrage

In recent years, machine learning algorithms have been successfully employed to leverage the potential of identifying hidden patterns of financial market behavior and, consequently, have become a land of opportunities for financial applications such as algorithmic trading. In this paper, we propose a statistical arbitrage trading strategy with two key elements: an ensemble of regression algorithms for asset return prediction, followed by a dynamic asset selection. More specifically, we construct an extremely heterogeneous ensemble ensuring model diversity by using state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, data diversity by using a feature selection process, and method diversity by using individual models for each asset, as well models that learn cross-sectional across multiple assets. Then, their predictive results are fed into a quality assurance mechanism that prunes assets with poor forecasting performance in the previous periods. We evaluate the approach on historical data of component stocks of the SP500 index. By performing an in-depth risk-return analysis, we show that this setup outperforms highly competitive trading strategies considered as baselines. Experimentally, we show that the dynamic asset selection enhances overall trading performance both in terms of return and risk. Moreover, the proposed approach proved to yield superior results during both financial turmoil and massive market growth periods, and it showed to have general application for any risk-balanced trading strategy aiming to exploit different asset classes

Dabigatran overload in acute kidney injury: haemodialysis or idarucizumab? A case report and proposal for a decisional algorithm

Dabigatran overload has been reported in acute kidney injury (AKI), leading to occasional major bleeding. Haemodialysis (HD) was the method used for reversing dabigatran anticoagulant effects before the approval of idarucizumab, which is now indicated for dabigatran reversal in major bleeding or surgical emergencies. There have been reports of rebound of dabigatran levels following idarucizumab administration in AKI, requiring HD to achieve effective dabigatran clearance. However, a decisional algorithm to individualize treatments for dabigatran overload seems lacking. We present a case of dabigatran accumulation in obstructive AKI with minor bleeding that was successfully treated with HD and tranexamic acid without using idarucizumab, and propose a decision-making algorithm including different pathways in the management of suspected dabigatran overload in AKI

Explainable Machine Learning Exploiting News and Domain-Specific Lexicon for Stock Market Forecasting

In this manuscript, we propose a Machine Learning approach to tackle a binary classification problem whose goal is to predict the magnitude (high or low) of future stock price variations for individual companies of the SP 500 index. Sets of lexicons are generated from globally published articles with the goal of identifying the most impactful words on the market in a specific time interval and within a certain business sector. A feature engineering process is then performed out of the generated lexicons, and the obtained features are fed to a Decision Tree classifier. The predicted label (high or low) represents the underlying company's stock price variation on the next day, being either higher or lower than a certain threshold. The performance evaluation we have carried out through a walk-forward strategy, and against a set of solid baselines, shows that our approach clearly outperforms the competitors. Moreover, the devised Artificial Intelligence (AI) approach is explainable, in the sense that we analyze the white-box behind the classifier and provide a set of explanations on the obtained results

Factors influencing delayed discharge after day-surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy: the DeDiLaCo study protocol

OBJECTIVE: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the gold standard for most benign gallbladder diseases. Early discharge (<24 hours) has the same outcomes as longer (>24 hours) hospital stay. Nevertheless, the rate of delayed discharge >24 hours range from 4.6% to 37%. The primary endpoint of this Italian nationwide study is to analyze the prevalence of patients undergoing elective LC who experienced a delayed discharge >24 hours and identify potential limiting factors of early discharge. Results from these analyses will be used to select patients who can be safely discharged on the same day after surgery. Secondary endpoints will be to evaluate the patient’s quality of life (QoL), assess the direct health costs associated with late discharge, and quantify the patient’s involvement in the treatment process. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective, observational study was conducted following a resident-led model and the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines. All patients were treated according to the local hospital protocol and received routine care as standard therapy. RESULTS: We expected to obtain the enrollment of at least 500 patients based on an assumed difference in discharge delay between the reference and the recruitable population of 6% and the identification of factors related to discharge failure within 24 h. Early discharge after LC leads to advantages both in terms of clinical outcomes and quality of life of the patient, and it is highly effective in terms of health costs and shortening the waiting list. However, clinical reality differs from the results of randomized studies by a complex series of non-objectionable real-world data influencing treatment plans. Therefore, we expected to identify independent predictors and factors of failure of early discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical reality often differs from randomized trial results. In Italy, the vast majority of delayed discharges after LC may not be related to surgery and can be prevented both with logistical reorganization and with a readjustment of the trust reimbursement policies

Effect of storage conditions on seed germination of eigTyrrhenian endemic vascular plant species of conservation interest

The conservation of endemic and endangered plant species is of great interest to the scientific and research community. In this frame, seed banks play a crucial role when biodiversity preservation and climate change are considered. The study of seed viability and germination during storage conditions provides basic and useful information to ensure successful ex situ conservation. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether storage time and conditions (i.e., base collection at -25°C and active collection at +5°C) affect seed germination in the long term. For these purposes, eight Tyrrhenian endemic vascular plant species (mostly endangered) with orthodox seeds were studied: Brassica insularis, Centranthus amazonum, Dianthus morisianus, Digitalis purpurea var. gyspergerae, Ferula arrigonii, Helicodiceros muscivorus, Iberis integerrima and Verbascum plantagineum. These species were stored in the Sardinian Germplasm Bank (BG-SAR) at -25°C and at +5°C for a time ranging from 2 to 12 years. Germination tests were carried out following the optimal conditions reported in the literature for each species. The results showed, in general terms, the high seed germination capacity of all species stored at both conditions; regarding the time of seed storage, germination in some tested species (such as B. insularis and C. amazonum) slightly decreased over time. We argued that seed dehydration, low seed moisture content during storage and the use of hermetic glass containers can be considered key factors for long-term conservation of these orthodox seeds. In conclusion, this study showed that the conservation of these endemic species is ensured by seed bank storage, according to the general assumption that seed longevity depends on seed lot quality, on well-sealed storage containers and conditions before and during storage

From mining wastes to mineral sources - investigating the REE-bearing occurrences in the Arburèse District (SW Sardinia)

In recent years, the search for possible sources of REE minerals in Europe involved numerous old mine areas with high volumes of mining wastes that may offer significant amounts of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs). In some cases, strong evidence of CRMs anomalous concentrations arises from environmental characterization of wastes, so that an interesting problem is that of finding their sources, i.e., the original CRMs - rich mineral phases in the residual ore. An excellent example is provided by the Arburèse district of SW Sardinia, for about 150 years a major Pb-Zn source in Italy, now an area under study for remediation of its severe environmental problems, including >10 Mt of waste deposits. The district exploited a large system (>10 km) of low-temperature polymetallic veins hosted in Lower Paleozoic siliciclastic rocks belonging to the Variscan Nappe zone, arranged in two main geometrical trends relative to the late Variscan Arbus pluton: “peripheral” and “intersecting”. Recent investigations in the Montevecchio mine area discovered high Zn (up to 2.65 wt.%) and Pb (1.23 wt.%) grades in stratified tailing materials belonging to the Sanna old processing plant. Remarkably, ICP-MS analyses on the same materials revealed total REE+ Y contents attaining about 600 ppm. XRD studies confirmed a tailing composition essentially made of gangue minerals (quartz, siderite and micas) with goethite, baryte and traces of Zn carbonates and Pb sulfates. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns are coherent with the hydrothermal character of the source: however, both the REE mineralogical host(s) in tailings and in the Montevecchio ore are still undetermined. In the search of REE-bearing phases in the ores, some relevant insights are provided by studies on the southern branch of the Arburèse system, where the veins of “peripheral” system are hosted in late Ordovician-Silurian sedimentary sequences. In this part of the district the polymetallic veins assume the character of five-elements (Ni-Co-As-Bi-Ag) veins, with a rich Ni-Co-Fe arsenide – quartz association (1) overprinted by a Zn-Pb-Cu sulfide – siderite – quartz association (2), very similar to that dominating in Montevecchio. Investigations in the Pira Inferida mine sector highlighted the presence of LREE fluorocarbonates (synchysite-Ce and bastnaesite-Ce) and phosphates (monazite) associated with rutile and apatite. LREE minerals have been detected by SEM-EDS as tiny crystals in the quartz-sericitic gangue of the Montevecchio-type (2) mineral association. The same minerals are found in millimetric aggregates in the oxide zone of the veins, sporadically reported by mineral collectors in other mine sites of the same system. Overall, these occurrences, similar to those found in other low-temperature vein systems of Sardinia (e.g., Silius vein system), appear reliable mineral REE sources for Montevecchio mine wastes; they may be therefore used as proxies for REE exploration and assessment in the district