Integrazione e migrazione di applicazioni web-based attraverso l'uso di micro-frontend: un caso di studio aziendale

A partire dalla nascita del Web e dalla sua diffusione abbiamo assistito ad una costante evoluzione dei contenuti e dei servizi offerti tramite esso, oggi i requisiti e le aspettative legate alle applicazioni Web-based sono sempre maggiori, questo sta portando alla nascita di sistemi sempre più complessi. Per rispondere a questo genere di necessità si è diffusa la tendenza ad affidarsi ad architetture basate su microservizi, usare questo genere di approccio consente di aggirare gli svantaggi caratteristici dei grandi backend monolitici. Lato frontend invece, la tendenza é stata a lungo quella di realizzare applicazioni complesse e difficilmente manutenibili, mentre recentemente molte aziende stanno adottando soluzioni basate su micro-frontend. In questo approccio l'applicazione web viene suddivisa nelle sue funzionalità peculiari e ciascuna di esse è di proprietà di un team diverso, ciò garantisce che vengano sviluppate, testate e distribuite in maniera indipendente dalle altre. L'obiettivo del lavoro presentato, è di illustrare le potenzialità fornite da una architettura a micro-frontend attraverso il supporto di un caso di studio aziendale, il quale riguarda l'esigenza di attuare un processo di trasformazione che porti all'integrazione e alla migrazione di diversi applicativi caratterizzati da funzionalità spesso comuni, sia per la necessità di ottimizzare le risorse investite, sia per rinnovare le soluzioni offerte. Il tutto attuando una evoluzione che dovrà tenere in considerazione le varie difficoltà organizzative, comuni ad aziende di medio e grande dimensioni. Un altro punto fondamentale sarà l'abbandono dei precedenti applicativi, adottando un approccio basato sull'idea di generare valore in maniera incrementale e costante, in modo da non dover sospendere il rilascio di nuove funzionalità verso i propri clienti per riuscire, solo dopo un lungo tempo, a fornire un'unica nuova soluzione software

Retinoid metabolism and mode of action.

Vitamin A and its derivaties (retinoids) are necessary for the maintenance of normal phenotypic expression. An attempt at understanding the biochemical role of vitamin A had led to the demonstration of a new pathway for retinol. In this pathway, vitamin A is phosphorylated to retinylphosphate (RP), which is then glycosylated to retinylphosphatemannose (MRP). These two derivatives have been found in a variety of tissues in vivo and in vitro and appear to be ubiquitous components of cellular membranes. The suggestion has been made that MRP may mediate specific cellular interactions by functioning as a lipid intermediate in the biosynthesis of specific glycoconjugates. A study on spontaneously-transformed mouse fibroblasts (Balb/c 3T12-3 cells) has shown that retinoids are active in increasing the adhesive properties of these cells as measured in an EDTA-mediated detachment assay. Various retinoids were tested for their activity in the adhesion test, and this activity was found to correlate well with their biological activity in maintaining the expression of normal epithelial differentiation in other systems. Retinoic acid, 5,6-epoxyretinol, and 5,6-epoxyretinoic acid were the most active compounds. Retinoids without biological activity in other systems were also inactive in inducihg adhesive properties of 3T12-3 cells. Among these were the synthetic derivatives of retinol, anhydroretinol, and 4,5-monoeneperhydroretinol, and the phenyl derivative of retinoic acid. Beta-Ionone, abscisic acid, and juvenile hormone, which are devoid of vitamin A activity in other systems, were also inactive in this system. Retinoid-induced changes in cell surface proteins were investigated but no difference in 125I-fibronectin (MW 220,000) was detectable between retinoid-treated and untreated cells. However, these cells synthesized retinylphosphatemannose and the incorporation of 2-3H-mannose into a specific glycoprotein (gp 180) was found to be enhanced specifically by retinoid treatment. Investigations of the involvement of gp 180 in adhesion are in progress

Controversial issues on EEG after sleep deprivation for the diagnosis of epilepsy

EEG after sleep deprivation (SD-EEG) is widely used in many epilepsy centers as an important tool in the epilepsy diagnosis process. However, after more than 40 years of use, there are a number of issues which still need to be clarified concerning its features and role. In particular, the many scientific papers addressing its role in epilepsy diagnosis often differ remarkably from each other in terms of the type of patients assessed, their description and study design. Furthermore, also the length and the type of EEG performed after SD, as well as the length of SD itself, vary dramatically from one study to another. In this paper we shortly underscore the abovementioned differences among the different reports, as well as some interpretations of the findings obtained in the different studies. This analysis emphasizes, if needed, how SD-EEG still represents a crucial step in epilepsy diagnosis, and how additional, controlled studies might further shape its precise diagnostic/prognostic role

Real-Time On-Site Diagnosis of Quarantine Pathogens in Plant Tissues by Nanopore-Based Sequencing

Rapid and sensitive assays for the identification of plant pathogens are necessary for the effective management of crop diseases. The main limitation of current diagnostic testing is the inability to combine broad and sensitive pathogen detection with the identification of key strains, pathovars, and subspecies. Such discrimination is necessary for quarantine pathogens, whose management is strictly dependent on genotype identification. To address these needs, we have established and evaluated a novel all-in-one diagnostic assay based on nanopore sequencing for the detection and simultaneous characterization of quarantine pathogens, using Xylella fastidiosa as a case study. The assay proved to be at least as sensitive as standard diagnostic tests and the quantitative results agreed closely with qPCR-based analysis. The same sequencing results also allowed discrimination between subspecies when present either individually or in combination. Pathogen detection and typing were achieved within 13 min of sequencing owing to the use of an internal control that allowed to stop sequencing when sufficient data had accumulated. These advantages, combined with the use of portable equipment, will facilitate the development of next-generation diagnostic assays for the efficient monitoring of other plant pathogens

Sleep in Frontotemporal Dementia is Equally or Possibly More Disrupted, and at an Earlier Stage, When Compared to Sleep in Alzheimer's Disease

Background: Conversely to other neurodegenerative diseases (i.e., Alzheimer's disease, AD), sleep in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has not been studied adequately. Although some evidence exists that sleep-wake disturbances occur in FTD, very little is known regarding sleep macrostructure and/or primary sleep disorders. Objective: To investigate these issues in this population and compare them to similar issues in AD and in healthy elderly (HE). Methods: Twelve drug-naïve behavioral-variant FTD (bvFTD) patients (7 men/5 women) of mean age 62.5 ± 8.6 years were compared to seventeen drug-naïve AD patients (9 men/8 women) of mean age 69.0 ± 9.9 years and twenty drug-naïve HE (12 men/8 women) of mean age 70.2 ± 12.5 years. All participants were fully assessed clinically, through a sleep questionnaire, an interview, and video-polysomnography recordings. Results: The two patient groups were comparably cognitively impaired. However, compared to FTD patients, the AD patients had a statistically significant longer disease duration. Overall, the sleep profile was better preserved in HE. Sleep complaints did not differ considerably between the two patient groups. Sleep parameters and sleep macrostructure were better preserved in AD compared to FTD patients, regardless of primary sleep disorders, which occurred equally in the two groups. Conclusions: With respect to AD, FTD patients had several sleep parameters similarly or even more affected by neurodegeneration, but in a much shorter time span. The findings probably indicate a centrally originating sleep deregulation. Since in FTD patients sleep disturbances may be obvious from an early stage of their disease, and possibly earlier than in AD patients, physicians and caregivers should be alert for the early detection and treatment of these symptoms

Daytime sleepiness in de novo untreated patients with epilepsy.

The aims of our study were to evaluate excessive daytime sleepiness in a group of de novo untreated people with epilepsy using a comprehensive and standardized approach, including subjective evaluation and neurophysiological and performance tests, and to compare these results with those obtained in a control group. Forty-seven patients with epilepsy (17 affected by primary generalized epilepsy and 30 by partial epilepsy), with a new epilepsy diagnosis and never treated, and 44 controls underwent Multiple Sleep Latency Test (preceded by nocturnal polysomnography), simple/complex visual reaction times, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale evaluation. Newly diagnosed and drug-free patients with epilepsy did not differ from controls in any of the tests performed to evaluate daytime sleepiness. In clinical practice, daytime sleepiness is a well-known and frequent complaint of patients with epilepsy, but different mechanisms and causes, such as associated psychiatric or sleep disorders, nocturnal seizures, sleep fragmentation, and antiepileptic drugs, must be taken into account. Excessive daytime sleepiness should not be considered an unavoidable consequence of epilepsy. Thus, a complete diagnostic work-up in patients with epilepsy and sleepiness should be undertaken whenever possible

A Rapid and Accurate MinION-Based Workflow for Tracking Species Biodiversity in the Field

Genetic markers (DNA barcodes) are often used to support and confirm species identification. Barcode sequences can be generated in the field using portable systems based on the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) MinION sequencer. However, to achieve a broader application, current proof-of-principle workflows for on-site barcoding analysis must be standardized to ensure a reliable and robust performance under suboptimal field conditions without increasing costs. Here, we demonstrate the implementation of a new on-site workflow for DNA extraction, PCR-based barcoding, and the generation of consensus sequences. The portable laboratory features inexpensive instruments that can be carried as hand luggage and uses standard molecular biology protocols and reagents that tolerate adverse environmental conditions. Barcodes are sequenced using MinION technology and analyzed with ONTrack, an original de novo assembly pipeline that requires as few as 1000 reads per sample. ONTrack-derived consensus barcodes have a high accuracy, ranging from 99.8 to 100%, despite the presence of homopolymer runs. The ONTrack pipeline has a user-friendly interface and returns consensus sequences in minutes. The remarkable accuracy and low computational demand of the ONTrack pipeline, together with the inexpensive equipment and simple protocols, make the proposed workflow particularly suitable for tracking species under field conditions

Experimental Protocol to Test Explicit Motor Learning–Cerebellar Theta Burst Stimulation

Implicit and explicit motor learning processes work interactively in everyday life to promote the creation of highly automatized motor behaviors. The cerebellum is crucial for motor sequence learning and adaptation, as it contributes to the error correction and to sensorimotor integration of on-going actions. A non-invasive cerebellar stimulation has been demonstrated to modulate implicit motor learning and adaptation. The present study aimed to explore the potential role of cerebellar theta burst stimulation (TBS) in modulating explicit motor learning and adaptation, in healthy subjects. Cerebellar TBS will be applied immediately before the learning phase of a computerized task based on a modified Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) paradigm. Here, we present a study protocol aimed at evaluating the behavioral effects of continuous (cTBS), intermittent TBS (iTBS), or sham Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) on four different conditions: learning, adaptation, delayed recall and re-adaptation of SRTT. We are confident to find modulation of SRTT performance induced by cerebellar TBS, in particular, processing acceleration and reduction of error in all the conditions induced by cerebellar iTBS, as already known for implicit processes. On the other hand, we expect that cerebellar cTBS could induce opposite effects. Results from this protocol are supposed to advance the knowledge about the role of non-invasive cerebellar modulation in neurorehabilitation, providing clinicians with useful data for further exploiting this technique in different clinical conditions

CryoSat Ice Baseline-D validation and evolutions

The ESA Earth Explorer CryoSat-2 was launched on 8 April 2010 to monitor the precise changes in the thickness of terrestrial ice sheets and marine floating ice. To do that, CryoSat orbits the planet at an altitude of around 720 km with a retrograde orbit inclination of 92∘ and a quasi repeat cycle of 369 d (30 d subcycle). To reach the mission goals, the CryoSat products have to meet the highest quality standards to date, achieved through continual improvements of the operational processing chains. The new CryoSat Ice Baseline-D, in operation since 27 May 2019, represents a major processor upgrade with respect to the previous Ice Baseline-C. Over land ice the new Baseline-D provides better results with respect to the previous baseline when comparing the data to a reference elevation model over the Austfonna ice cap region, improving the ascending and descending crossover statistics from 1.9 to 0.1 m. The improved processing of the star tracker measurements implemented in Baseline-D has led to a reduction in the standard deviation of the point-to-point comparison with the previous star tracker processing method implemented in Baseline-C from 3.8 to 3.7 m. Over sea ice, Baseline-D improves the quality of the retrieved heights inside and at the boundaries of the synthetic aperture radar interferometric (SARIn or SIN) acquisition mask, removing the negative freeboard pattern which is beneficial not only for freeboard retrieval but also for any application that exploits the phase information from SARIn Level 1B (L1B) products. In addition, scatter comparisons with the Beaufort Gyre Exploration Project (BGEP; https://www.whoi.edu/beaufortgyre, last access: October 2019) and Operation IceBridge (OIB; Kurtz et al., 2013) in situ measurements confirm the improvements in the Baseline-D freeboard product quality. Relative to OIB, the Baseline-D freeboard mean bias is reduced by about 8 cm, which roughly corresponds to a 60 % decrease with respect to Baseline-C. The BGEP data indicate a similar tendency with a mean draft bias lowered from 0.85 to −0.14 m. For the two in situ datasets, the root mean square deviation (RMSD) is also well reduced from 14 to 11 cm for OIB and by a factor of 2 for the BGEP. Observations over inland waters show a slight increase in the percentage of good observations in Baseline-D, generally around 5 %–10 % for most lakes. This paper provides an overview of the new Level 1 and Level 2 (L2) CryoSat Ice Baseline-D evolutions and related data quality assessment, based on results obtained from analyzing the 6-month Baseline-D test dataset released to CryoSat expert users prior to the final transfer to operations