Comparisons of Hyv\"arinen and pairwise estimators in two simple linear time series models

The aim of this paper is to compare numerically the performance of two estimators based on Hyv\"arinen's local homogeneous scoring rule with that of the full and the pairwise maximum likelihood estimators. In particular, two different model settings, for which both full and pairwise maximum likelihood estimators can be obtained, have been considered: the first order autoregressive model (AR(1)) and the moving average model (MA(1)). Simulation studies highlight very different behaviours for the Hyv\"arinen scoring rule estimators relative to the pairwise likelihood estimators in these two settings.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure

High frequency of inadequate test requests for antiphospholipid antibodies in daily clinical practice

Abstract Background: We have empirically noted that many physicians routinely request anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) without a correct clinical indication. The aim of this study was to evaluate retrospectively whether aPL testing at our Thrombosis Centre was justified. Methods: Medical records from 520 subjects for aPL screening tests for various clinical conditions were reviewed. The aPL screening tests were: lupus anticoagulant (LA), anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and anti-β(2) glycoptotein I (aβ(2) GPI). Requests for aPL screening were divided into justified, potentially justified or not adequately justified. Results: aPL testing requests were considered justified in 358 (69%) patients, potentially justified in 66 (12.6%) and not adequately justified in 96 (18.4%). LA was positive in 65 (18%) of justified requests and in only one (1%) of the 96 potentially justified requests. None of the 66 not adequately justified for aPL testing was positive for LA. aβ(2) ..

Dental injuries in young athletes, a five-year follow-up study

Aim The aim of this study is to produce a clinical therapy protocol for a group of 20 athletes between the ages of 8 and 14, who all suffered traumas affecting hard dental and periodontal tissues. Material and methods This study involves a group of 20 athletes (10 male and 10 female) who had suffered dental traumas of varying severity. In order to collect the data, two classification systems were used: one for hard tissue traumas and another for periodontal lesions. The athletes were subdivided into lesion groups, treated depending on the type of lesions and then followed-up over a period of 5 years. A statistical analysis was carried out to study the association between type of lesions, types of sports and the number of teeth involved. Results We found that recovery time ranged from 3 to 5 days for uncomplicated fractures and up to 14 days for luxations. Only four complications were registered during the follow-up period and these were most likely due to the severity of the trauma. Out of the 20 athletes, 16 had begun and maintained the habit of using mouth protection devices when practicing their sport. The statistical analysis focused on the possible association between the risk levels of a sport and the typical lesions and complications that usually occur. Due to their high frequency, the two types of lesions taken into account in our study were complicated fractures (FP) and luxated/fractured teeth (LF). The average number of teeth involved varied according to the sport's risk level (medium or high) with averages of 1.6 teeth involved for medium-risk sports and 2.0 teeth for high-risk sports. Conclusions What emerged in particular was the regular progress in the recovery time needed for the injuries sustained, with few complications or delays in rehabilitation; we also noted that the numerous athletes who habitually used mouthguards while competing during the recovery period did not suffer any recurrences of injuries or further complications. Regarding the results of our statistical analysis, no association was found between the sport's risk, the types of lesions and the occurrence of complications. In addition, analysis of the average number of teeth involved showed that there is no statistical evidence to reject the hypothesis that the ratios remain the same in the two groups

CORRELATION BETWEEN CHRONIC MUCOSAL TRAUMA AND ORAL CANCER: A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract – Objective: Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignancy in the oral cavity representing the 90% of all oral malignancies that affect oral cavity. Primary risk factors associated with oral cancer are alcohol and tobacco consumption. However, other emerging risk factors have been proposed in Literature, including chronic trauma of the oral mucosa related to dental prostheses and incongruous restorations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review the literature on the correlation between oral carcinoma and chronic irritative trauma, with the help of a case report and with focus on clinical features and differential diagnosis. Materials and Methods: A literature search on MEDLINE, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Wiley InterScience was performed, using the following words: Oral Cancer, chronic Trauma and Denture Trauma in various combinations. Results: The review produced 1356 results, but only 8 articles met the inclusion criteria and were involved in the review. No association has been proven between chronic mucosal trauma and oral cancer. Carcinoma has been shown to develop more frequently in trauma regions, particularly in the tongue. As for the data on the gender and age of affected patients, it emerges that most of the greatest incidence occurs around the sixth and seventh decade of life and men are more affected than women. Conclusions: Due to the heterogeneity of the different studies and the strong presence of other factors such as smoking and alcohol, the role of trauma in carcinogenesis is unclear. Further molecular, epidemiological and case-control studies are needed to define this correlation. It is advisable to carry out more restricted checks in patients at risk with dental prostheses

Comic Book (Extended Intellectual Output 2 of Blurred Lives Project: a Cross-National Co-Participatory Exploration of Cyberbullying, Young People and Socio-Economic Disadvantage)

Pupils aged 14-16 years from all over Europe have developed a comic book on the impact of cyberbullying and how to act against it. The comics are developed by the pupils and redrawn by a professional illustrator. Each story is aimed at raising awareness among young people of your age regarding the problem of cyberbullying and offers tools to combat it. In addition, the comic books include reflective questions and assignments to help you to better understand cyberbullying and think of effective solutions

Coping with cybervictimization: The role of direct confrontation and resilience on adolescent wellbeing

Background. Recent studies have consistently identified the negative consequences of cyberbullying on adolescent mental health. Nevertheless, not all cybervictims are alike, and in the last few years some evidence has appeared indicating that faced with cyberbullying, victims may manifest different emotional outcomes. In this study, we explored whether cybervictim resilience fully or partially mediates the effects of cybervictimization and whether a confrontational coping strategy impacts emotional symptoms. Methods. The study was carried out with a sample of 474 high school students equally distributed between males and females. Data were collected using a questionnaire comprising four measures assessing cybervictimization, direct confrontation coping strategy, resilience and emotional symptoms. Results. Structural equation modelling indicated that the effects of cybervictimization and confrontational coping strategy on emotional symptoms were mediated by resilience, with cybervictimization showing a positive effect while direct confrontation a negative effect. Cybervictimization also showed a positive direct effect on emotional symptoms. Conclusions. These results are presented in light of their implications for designing effective interventions able to protect and promote adolescents\u2019 psychological wellbeing

On the use of shape memory alloys for deployable passive heat radiators in space satellites

The present work presents a multifunctional structure for space engineering application part of the TOPDESS project, funded by ESA. The main aim of the project is the design of a thermal control device able to deploy through passive actuation. A combined device has been designed, made up of a Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP) foldable heat exchanger and Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wire. The deployment of the SMA wire is conceived to be controlled by thermal contact with the heat source and by conduction along the wire. Since the heat sources are lumped and the wire is subject to convection, a temperature gradient develops along the wire. A monodimensional mode able to predict the behavior of an SMA wire subjected to a spatial temperature gradient, is presented in this paper. The results show that the system can carry out folding and unfolding cycles with rotation angles greater than 80° only if the wire is subjected to uniform temperature distribution; in the case of temperature gradient, the achievable rotation angle is about 20°. The analysis states the feasibility of the actuation system, highlighting the critical technological aspects, to lay the groundwork for the future development of the whole system

Small-sample inference on measures of concordance for the Gaussian bivariate copula with emphasis on Gini’s gamma index

Likelihood-based small-sample procedures to compute confidence intervals for measures of concordance in a Gaussian bivariate copula are presented, with special emphasis on Gini’s gamma index