Cosmological implications of an evolutionary quantum gravity

The cosmological implications of an evolutionary quantum gravity are analyzed in the context of a generic inhomogeneous model. The Schr\"{o}dinger problem is formulated and solved in the presence of a scalar field, an ultrarelativistic matter and a perfect gas regarded as the dust-clock. Considering the actual phenomenology, it is shown how the evolutionary approach overlaps the Wheeler-DeWitt one.Comment: 4 pages; to appear in the proceedings of the II Stueckelberg Workshop, Int.J.Mod.Phys.A, references adde

Scalar Field Theory on Non-commutative Snyder Space-Time

We construct a scalar field theory on the Snyder non-commutative space-time. The symmetry underlying the Snyder geometry is deformed at the co-algebraic level only, while its Poincar\'e algebra is undeformed. The Lorentz sector is undeformed at both algebraic and co-algebraic level, but the co-product for momenta (defining the star-product) is non-co-associative. The Snyder-deformed Poincar\'e group is described by a non-co-associative Hopf algebra. The definition of the interacting theory in terms of a non-associative star-product is thus questionable. We avoid the non-associativity by the use of a space-time picture based on the concept of realization of a non-commutative geometry. The two main results we obtain are: (i) the generic (namely for any realization) construction of the co-algebraic sector underlying the Snyder geometry and (ii) the definition of a non-ambiguous self interacting scalar field theory on this space-time. The first order correction terms of the corresponding Lagrangian are explicitly computed. The possibility to derive Noether charges for the Snyder space-time is also discussed.Comment: 10 pages; v2: introduction rewritten, co-algebraic analysis improved, references added; to appear in PR

Metastatic Uterine Leiomyosarcoma in the Upper Buccal Gingiva Misdiagnosed as an Epulis

Uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare tumor constituting 1% of all uterine malignancies. This sarcoma demonstrates an aggressive growth pattern with an high rate of recurrence with hematologic dissemination; the most common sites are lung, liver, and peritoneal cavity, head and neck district being rarely interested. Only other four cases of metastasis in the oral cavity have been previously described. The treatment of choice is surgery and the use of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation has limited impact on clinical outcome. In case of metastases, surgical excision can be performed considering extent of disease, number and type of distant lesions, disease free interval from the initial diagnosis to the time of metastases, and expected life span. We illustrate a case of uterine LMS metastasis in the upper buccal gingiva that occurred during chemotherapy in a 63-year-old woman that underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for a diagnosis of LMS staged as pT2bN0 and that developed lung metastases eight months after primary treatment. Surgical excision of the oral mass (previously misdiagnosed as epulis at a dental center) and contemporary reconstruction with pedicled temporalis muscle flap was performed in order to improve quality of life. Even if resection was achieved in free margins, "local" relapse was observed 5 months after surgery

CBU_1932: A Hypothetical DNA-Binding Protein of the Q Fever Pathogen Coxiella Burnetii

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that resides within a lysosome-like acidic compartment of the eukaryotic host cell and may cause acute and chronic human infections.  Our recent transcriptome analysis of C. burnetii demonstrated that the CBU_1932 open reading frame displayed an exceptionally high transcript level at 11,481 transcripts per million (TPM), well above average transcript quantity for remaining ORFs in the genome.  Due to it’s high transcript level we hypothesize the corresponding protein may play an important role for Coxiella.  Analysis of the CBU_1932 locus indicates that one of the adjacent ORFs, CBU_1933 is a hypothetical DNA binding protein.  The protein encoded by CBU_1932 ORF consists of 66 amino acid residues with an unusually high percentage (42%) of residues being basic, including 20 lysines.  Using BLAST algorithms we found CBU_1932 had no similarity with currently defined proteins, but has orthologues in other human intracellular pathogens such as Legionella and Chlamydia. Due to the high number of basic residues in CBU_1932, and linkage with a hypothetical DNA binding protein (CBU_1933), we hypothesize that CBU_1932 may also encode a protein involved with binding DNA or other negatively charged substrates.  To address this hypothesis, we are in the process of cloning the 201-base pair CBU_1932 ORF into pMAL-c5x expression plasmid and analyzing the recombinant protein using DNA-binding protocols including electrophoretic mobility-shift assay EMSA.  We are confident that characterization of this high-level transcript/highly basic protein will lead to a better understanding of the unique metabolism of Coxiella and other intracellular pathogens

Generalized Uncertainty Principle and the Ramsauer-Townsend Effect

The scattering cross section of electrons in noble gas atoms exhibits a minimum value at electron energies of approximately 1eV. This is the Ramsauer-Townsend effect. In this letter, we study the Ramsauer-Townsend effect in the framework of the Generalized Uncertainty Principle.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Improving splenic conservation rate after trauma by applying a protocol for non-operative management and follow-up: A propensity-score analysis

Background: There are shared guidelines about Non-Operative Management (NOM) of splenic injuries, but some unanswered questions remain. The aim of the present study is to establish the usefulness of a standardized protocol for management and follow-up of NOM patients with splenic injuries. Methods: Multicenter retrospective observational study including patients with major blunt trauma (ISS.15) with splenic injuries managed between January 1st 2014 and December 31st 2016 in two Italian I level Trauma Centers: one with a standardized management and follow-up protocol for NOM (Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, BH), and the other without it (ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo, PG23H). Comparison between patients' outcomes were performed and a propensity score model was calculated. Results: 47 patients managed in BH and 49 patients in PG23H were included. In BH, a higher proportion of patients was treated with NOM (72.3 % vs. 53.1 %, p ¼ 0.051). There was no difference in complication rate and mortality in patients treated with NOM in the two hospitals. A borderline significant trend to a higher NOM failure rate in PG23H was found (BH 0.0 % vs. PG23H 11.3 %, p ¼ 0.076). The total splenic conservation rate was significantly higher in BH (BH 72.3 % vs. PG23H 46.9 %, p ¼ 0.011). After the Propensity Score based matching, 72 patients were included and the total splenic conservation rate was significantly higher in BH (BH: 77.8 % vs. PG23H: 50.9 %, p ¼ 0.014). Conclusions: The application of a protocol for in-hospital management and follow-up for NOM of patients with splenic injury could decrease the NOM failure rate and improve splenic conservation rate

Performance and midspan wake measurements on a H-Darrieus in controlled conditions

Performance and wake measurements on a H-Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine are discussed on the basis of an extensive experimental campaign performed at the large scale, high speed wind tunnel of the Politecnico di Milano (IT). The paper proposes a combined mechanical and fluid-dynamic investigation by virtue of an advanced measurement system that allows to reconstruct both phase-resolved thrust and torque acting on the machine and the phase-resolved multi-dimensional velocity field in the wake. The aerodynamic torque is presented as a function of the azimuthal angle of revolution, while the velocity field in the wake is fully characterized by means of a point to point detailed measurement on the midspan plane, where the influence of both blade support struts and tip vortices is negligible. Particular care is taken in the description of the experimental setup as well as in the presentation of the measurements. The here proposed achievements can be considered as a benchmark for the validation of several classes of computational tools

The importance of sex as a risk factor for hospital readmissions due to pulmonary diseases

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary diseases are a common and costly cause of 30-day readmissions. Few studies have focused on the difference in risk for rehospitalization between men and women in older patients. In this study we analyzed the association between sex and the risk of readmission in a cohort of patients admitted to the hospital for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation and other major pulmonary diseases. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data collected in the Veneto Region in 2016. We included 14,869 hospital admissions among residents aged 6565\u2009years for diagnosis related groups (DRGs) of the most common disorders of the respiratory system: bronchitis and asthma, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, and COPD. Multilevel logistic regressions were performed to test the association between 30-day hospital readmission and sex, adjusting for confounding factors. RESULTS: For bronchitis and asthma, male patients had significantly higher odds of 30-day readmission than female patients (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 2.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11-3.87). The odds of readmission for men were also significantly higher for pneumonia (aOR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.13-1.72), for pulmonary edema and respiratory failure (aOR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.05-1.55), and for COPD (aOR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.00-1.81). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that male sex is a major risk factors for readmission in patients aged more than 65\u2009years with a primary pulmonary diagnosis. More studies are needed to understand the underlying determinants of this phenomena and to provide targets for future interventions

Quantum geometrodynamics creates new problems

The development of last years in quantum geometrodynamics highlights new problems which were not obvious in its first formulation proposed by Wheeler and DeWitt. At the first stage the main task was to apply known quantization schemes to gravitational field or a certain cosmological model. This way has led to the realization of the fact that a quantum description of the Universe is impossible without implicit or explicit indication to a reference frame presented by some medium, filling the whole Universe, with its own equation of state and thermodynamical properties. Thus the questions arise, should one seek for a "privileged" reference frame or consider all the variety of gauge conditions and appropriate solutions for the wave function? It is worth noting that thermodynamical properties of such a quantum Universe would also depend on a chosen reference frame to some extent. So, we need a self-consistent quantum theoretical and thermodynamical description of the Universe.Comment: 5 pages, talk presented at the XIII Russian Gravitational Conference, Moscow, June 2008, a reference correcte