On the role of depletive tests. a review analysis

An overview of the diagnostic role of depletion tests for staging Meniere’s disease, especially in the first phase of the disease, is reported. Pros and cons, as well reliability and specificity of this diagnostic procedure is thoroughly analysed

Neutrino mass and mixing parameters: A short review

We present a brief review of the current status of neutrino mass and mixing parameters, based on a comprehensive phenomenological analysis of neutrino oscillation and non-oscillation searches, within the standard three-neutrino mixing framework.Comment: 11 pages, including 7 figures. Presented at the 40th Rencontres de Moriond on Electroweak Interactions and Unified Theories, La Thuile, Aosta Valley, Italy, 5-12 Mar 200

ITIL and the Creation of Benefits: An Empirical Study on Benefits, Challenges and Processes

Over 90 percent of companies are estimated to use IT Service Management (ITSM) frameworks, yet there is little research on their benefits to the Information Technology (IT) department and the business units. An international survey of 503 firms was conducted to examine the benefits of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), the de-facto ITSM framework, specifically on how these benefits evolve as companies increase their adoption of the ITIL model. Also studied are the perception of challenges of the implementation and the number of ITIL processes implemented in relation to the progress of the adoption of ITIL. Results indicate that as the maturity of implementation increases, the perception of challenges decreases. Findings also show that as the maturity of implementation increases, the number of realized benefits increases, as well as the number of implemented ITIL processes. Implications for practitioners and researchers are also discussed.12 page(s

Impact of IT Service Management Frameworks on the IT Organization An Empirical Study on Benefits, Challenges, and Processes

Over 90 percent of companies are estimatedto use IT Service Management(ITSM) frameworks, yet there is little researchon their benefits to the InformationTechnology (IT) department andthe business units. An international surveyof 491 firms was conducted to assessthe benefits of the IT InfrastructureLibrary (ITIL), the de-facto ITSM framework,specifically on how these benefitsevolve as companies increase theiradoption of the ITIL model. Also studiedare the perception of challenges ofthe implementation and the number ofITIL processes implemented in relationto the progress of the adoption of ITIL.Results indicate that as the maturity ofimplementation increases, the perceptionof challenges decreases. Findingsalso showthat as thematurity of implementationincreases, the number of realizedbenefits increases, as well as thenumber of implemented ITIL processes.Implications for practitioners and researchersare also discussed

Life-cycle assessment of light steel frame buildings : A systematic literature review.

Light Steel Frame structures (LSF) have become one of the main competitors of traditional construction systems. The optimized material use, its lightness, and the timesaving in the construction phase, show the potential of this technology to reduce environmental impacts. The purpose of this study is to review and analyse the current literature on the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to LSF buildings and identify related gaps. A systematic literature review has been performed to query Web of Science and Scopus databases, highlighting methods, limitations, trends, and tools used to address LCA applied to LSF buildings. Although many efforts have been made to evaluate LSF buildings in comparison with other construction solutions, a gap persists in performing whole LCA. Considering the potential disassembly and reuse offered by LSF and the recyclability of steel, there is a need for future research focusing beyond the end-of-life stage

Death related to a congenital vascular anomaly of pulmonary hamartoma type: Malpractice or tragic fatality?

In forensic pathology, apparently straightforward cases can often hide rarities that, if not correctly interpreted, can alter the results of the entire investigation, leading to misinterpretations. This occurs when the investigation is conducted to assess medical malpractice. An unexpected death, with no known apparent cause, is often linked to an underlying disease process of unclear etiological origin whose nature can, unfortunately, be properly investigated only post-mortem. This presentation shows a case study, in which it was possible to reconduct the death of a patient to a natural pathology and not to medical treatment. Here, the authors illustrate a case with a hamartoma developed in chronic inflammatory conditions (bronchiectasis) that was difficult to differentiate from lung cancer due to the inability to perform specific instrumental examinations. The hamartoma, usually benign and identifiable by standard instrumental investigations, in this case, led to the patient’s death precisely during the execution of a bronchoscopy. However, in the absence of a certain cause of death, public opinion unanimously attributes a patient’s disease to medical error. Indeed, a routine practice such as bronchoscopy should not cause death and consequently, the doctor must have made a mistake. Fortunately, the autopsy not only demonstrated the origin of the bleeding but also unveiled the reason for this, as rare congenital lung disease. Fate, one might say

First evidence of an egg-laying attempt of feral trachemys scripta (Schoepff, 1792) in sicily (lake pergusa, Italy)

First evidence of an egg-laying attempt of feral Trachemys scripta (Schoepff, 1792) in Sicily (Lake Pergusa, Italy

Molecular data attest to the occurrence of autochthonous daphnia pulex (Crustacea, branchiopoda) populations in Sicily, Italy

Biological invasions are known to be among the most important threats to the long-term conservation of native biota, and their effects might be even more difficult to contrast when they are cryptic, i.e., when the non-native invaders cannot be easily recognised based on morphology, and can thus be confused with native taxa. Such cryptic invasions are known to widely occur in the cladoceran genus Daphnia O.F. Müller, 1785, so that the actual distribution and status of most species and lineages need to be checked with a genetic approach. In the frame of this work, we investigated if the Sicilian populations of D. (Daphnia) pulex Leydig, 1860 belonged to the allochthonous North American lineage, which is known to occur in several regions of the Palearctic and Afrotropical biogeographical regions, or rather to the autochthonous European lineage of the species. The molecular results obtained, based on a fragment of the mitochondrial gene encoding for NADH subunit dehydrogenase 5 (ND5), allowed us to rule out the allochthonous status of the species, confirming the presence of autochthonous relictual lineages of D. pulex in Sicily. The native status of these populations is in agreement with their local distribution, limited to natural and poorly-impacted water bodies mostly located in wooded areas at medium and high altitudes. The current local distribution of D. pulex in Sicily is possibly linked to the end of the last glacial maximum and the onset of warmer climatic conditions in the early Holocene, which led the species to take refuge in colder microthermal refugia located at high altitudes, determining their current relictual distribution. se only