Role of traditional and new biomarkers in breast carcinogenesis

In recent decades, several biomarkers have been investigated as predictors of breast cancer risk, development, prognosis and treatment efficacy

Defining Configurable Virtual Reality Templates for End Users

This paper proposes a solution for supporting end users in configuring Virtual Reality environments by exploiting reusable templates created by experts. We identify the roles participating in the environment development and the means for delegating part of the behaviour definition to the end users. We focus in particular on enabling end users to define the environment behaviour. The solution exploits a taxonomy defining common virtual objects having high-level actions for specifying event-condition-Action rules readable as natural language sentences. End users exploit such actions to define the environment behaviour. We report on a proof-of-concept implementation of the proposed approach, on its validation through two different case studies (virtual shop and museum), and on evaluating the approach with expert users

Motivating Cord Blood Donation with Information and Behavioral Nudges

Umbilical cord blood is a source of hematopoietic stem cells essential to treat life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia and lymphoma. However, only a very small percentage of parents donate upon delivery. The decision to donate the cord blood occurs at a very specific time and when parents likely experience emotional, informational, and decisional overloads; these features of cord blood donation make it different from other pro-social activities. In collaboration with an OB-GYN clinic in Milan, Italy, we conducted the first randomized controlled trial that applies tools from behavioral science to foster cord blood donation, and quantified the gains that informational and behavioral "nudges" can achieve. We found that information and "soft" commitments increased donations; approaching expecting parents closer to the delivery date and providing them with multiple reminders, moreover, had the strongest impact. However, a significant portion of women who expressed consent to donate could not do so because of organizational constraints. We conclude that simple, non-invasive behavioral interventions that address information gaps and procrastination, and that increase the salience of the activity can substantially enhance altruistic donations of cord blood, especially when coupled with organizational support

TM oxides coatings for high demanding accelerator components

Large electric gradients are required for a variety of new applications, notably including the extreme high brightness electron sources for X-ray free electron lasers (FELs), RF photoinjector, industrial and medical accelerators and linear accelerators for particle physics colliders. In the framework of a INFN-LNF, SLAC (USA), KEK (Japan), UCLA (Los Angeles) collaboration, the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF) is involved in the modelling, development and test of RF structures devoted to acceleration with high gradient electric field of particles through metal device. In order to improve the maximum sustainable gradients in normal conducting RF accelerating structures, we had to minimize the breakdown and the dark current. To this purpose the study of new materials and manufacturing techniques is mandatory to identify solutions to such extremely demanding applications. We considered the possibility to coat copper (and other metals) with a relatively thick film to improve and optimize breakdown performances. We present here the first characterization of MoO3 films deposited on copper by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) starting from a commercial MoO3 target

Interplay among work function, electronic structure and stoichiometry in nanostructured VO: X films

The work function is the parameter of greatest interest in many technological applications involving charge exchange mechanisms at the surface. The possibility to produce samples with a controlled work function is then particularly interesting, albeit challenging. We synthetized nanostructured vanadium oxide films by a room temperature supersonic cluster beam deposition method, obtaining samples with tunable stoichiometry and work function (3.7-7 eV). We present an investigation of the electronic structure of several vanadium oxide films as a function of the oxygen content via in situ Auger, valence-band photoemission spectroscopy and work function measurements. The experiments probed the partial 3d density of states, highlighting the presence of strong V 3d-O 2p and V 3d-V 4s hybridizations which influence 3d occupation. We show how controlling the stoichiometry of the sample implies control over work function, and that the access to nanoscale quantum confinement can be exploited to increase the work function of the sample relative to the bulk analogue. In general, the knowledge of the interplay among work function, electronic structure, and stoichiometry is strategic to match nanostructured oxides to their target applications

Aplicación de la NIA 320 materialidad o importancia relativa en una Auditoría a los estados financieros de la Empresa Geminis S.A. en el período terminado al 31 de Diciembre 2018

La importancia relativa o materialidad es un punto de referencia e importante dentro de una auditoria y por ende un concepto fundamental dentro de las normas internacionales de auditoría y paralelo al proceso contable. En una auditoria se enfatiza en que los estados financieros reflejen la imagen fiel y estén libres incorrecciones materiales que afecten la percepción de éstos,proporcionando a su vez una adecuada información orientada a la toma de decisiones económicas razonablemente correctas, por ello el objetivo principal de este seminario es aplicar el concepto de importancia relativa o materialidad en los estados financieros de la empresa Géminis S,A durante el periodo 2018.Paara la realización del presente trabajo investigativo se seleccionó la Norma Internacional de Auditoría 320 “ Importancia relativa en la planificación y realización de una auditoría” que nos especifica la responsabilidad del auditor de aplicar el concepto de materialidad en una auditoría para poder determinar los procedimientos necesarios para verificar la razonabilidad de la información financiera y que presente la imagen real de la empresa en todos los aspectos materiales. esta investigación queda centrado la adecuada aplicación de la importancia relativa o materialidad en la planificación y ejecución de la auditoría financiera mediante un caso práctico con énfasis en una auditoría financiera realizada en la empresa Géminis S,A durante el período 2018, se hará la determinación de la materialidad de los estados financieros tomados en su conjunto como la Norma lo establece, así como los niveles de materialidad para partidas y saldos que de acuerdo a los análisis financieros y del control interno resulten rubros sensibles para aplicar procedimientos de auditoría que comprueben su razonabilidad y que estén libres de errores materiales

Dimethyl carbonate as a green alternative to acetonitrile in reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Part I: Separation of small molecules

: Nowadays, environmental problems are drawing the attention of governments and international organisations, which are therefore encouraging the transition to green industrial processes and approaches. In this context, chemists can help indicate a suitable direction. Beside the efforts focused on greening synthetic approaches, currently also analytical techniques and separations are under observation, especially those employing large volumes of organic solvents, such as reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC). Acetonitrile has always been considered the best performing organic modifier for RPLC applications, due to its chemical features (complete miscibility in water, UV transparency, low viscosity etc); nevertheless, it suffers of severe shortcomings, and most importantly, it does not fully comply with Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) requirements. For these reasons, alternative greener solvents are being investigated, especially easily available alcohols. In this work, chromatographic performance of the most common solvents used in reversed-phase chromatography, i.e., acetonitrile, ethanol and isopropanol, have been compared to a scarcely used solvent, dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The analytes of interest were two small molecules, caffeine and paracetamol, whose kinetics and retention behaviour obtained with the four solvents have been compared, and all contributions to band broadening have been assessed. Results about kinetic performance are very promising, indicating that a small amount (7 % v/v) of DMC is able to produce the same efficiency as a 2.5-times larger ACN volume (18 % v/v), and larger efficiency than alcohols. This paper reports, for the first time, fundamental studies concerning the mass transfer phenomena when DMC is used as an organic solvent in RPLC, and, together with the companion paper, represents the results of a research whose final aim was to discover whether DMC is suitable for chromatographic applications both in linear and preparative conditions

Neurocognition and social cognition in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with and without a history of violence: results of a multinational European study

Objective: Neurocognitive impairment has been extensively studied in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and seems to be one of the major determinants of functional outcome in this clinical population. Data exploring the link between neuropsychological deficits and the risk of violence in schizophrenia has been more inconsistent. In this study, we analyse the differential predictive potential of neurocognition and social cognition to discriminate patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with and without a history of severe violence. Methods: Overall, 398 (221 cases and 177 controls) patients were recruited in forensic and general psychiatric settings across five European countries and assessed using a standardized battery. Results: Education and processing speed were the strongest discriminators between forensic and non-forensic patients, followed by emotion recognition. In particular, increased accuracy for anger recognition was the most distinctive feature of the forensic group. Conclusions: These results may have important clinical implications, suggesting potential enhancements of the assessment and treatment of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with a history of violence, who may benefit from consideration of socio-cognitive skills commonly neglected in ordinary clinical practice