Chapter Il linguaggio della scienza e la creazione della terminologia

This paper aims to present an historical point of view and precisely exposes the reasons why the need for terminology has developed and gradually increased, without it nullifying the ability of scientists to invent words with freedom and imagination, sometimes even taking inspiration from literature, such as particle physicist Murray Gell-Mann (Nobel laureate 1969), who, for “quark”, was inspired by a passage from Joyce's Finnegans Wake

Intermediate fragmentation surrounding vineyards favours the Coleoptera community within the crop

Insects of the order Coleoptera play an essential role in agricultural sustainability by supporting many ecosystem services (such as biological control, nutrient cycling or pollination). In agroecosystems, the Coleoptera community may be influenced by the surrounding landscape, which can provide living resources, like food or shelter, during different seasons, originating spillover movements between different environments. The present study aimed to evaluate the response of the Coleoptera community to the landscape surrounding vineyards at different buffers. For that, Coleoptera were sampled in six wine protected designation of origin (PDO) regions of Portugal (35 vineyards), and landscape configuration and composition metrics were calculated at buffers of 500, 750, 1000, 1500 and 2000 m radii around the vineyards. In total, 2954 Coleoptera individuals belonging to 36 families were collected. The most abundant families were Chrysomelidae, Coccinellidae and Latridiidae. Results indicated that intermediate habitat fragmentation levels, particularly in semi-natural areas and vineyards, favoured Coleoptera biodiversity in vine-producing regions. Moreover, the range of activity of Coleoptera seems to be larger This work constitutes an important contribution to understanding the response of the Coleoptera community to the landscape context in vineyards in Portugal and contributes to the theoretical framework about the influence of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity.European Commission, Grant/Award Numbers: Project H2020-SFS-2016-3, RIA contract 727987; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Grant/Award Numbers: LA/P/0007/2020, UIDB/00690/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Type 1 and Type 2 Cytokines in HIV Infection – A Possible Role in Apoptosis and Disease Progression

The progression of HIV-infected subjects to AIDS was recently postulated to be controlled by the balance between type 1 cytokines (mainly enhancing cell-mediated immunity) and type 2 cytokines (mainly augmenting antibody production). Thus, progression of HIV infection was suggested to be accompanied by a decline of in vitro production of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-12 and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) (type 1 cytokines) and an increase in the production of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10 (type 2 cytokines) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HIV-seropositive patients. According to this hypothesis, clinical markers of progression would be considered the loss of the ability to elicit a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to ubiquitous antigens (secondary to defective IL-2 production), hyper-lgE (secondary to increased IL-4 production) and hypereosynophilia (secondary to increased IL-5 production). The type 1 to type 2 shift was suggested to be predictive for the following events: (i) reduction in CD4 counts; (ii..

On the spatial spread of the Rice Water Weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera: Erirhinidae), in Italy

A five year study has been made to establish the spread of the rice water weevil Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus (Coleoptera: Erirhinidae) in Northern Italy. Data obtained with GPS from 2005 throughout 2009 were first georeferenced with SW ArcGis® 9.2, then overlapped and compared to the map of the European environmental landscape based on the interpretation of satellite images (CORINE Land Cover map) and to the hydrographic chart CT10 (Technical Regional map 10000). The analysis of the radial rate of spread per year indicates a deceleration in the expansion from 10.864 ± 6.801 km/year in 2005 to 5.318 ± 1.401 km/year in 2009. In five years the weevil has expanded its distribution in nearly all rice paddies in Lombardy and Piedmont, over an area of about 200,000 ha, which correspond to 86% of the total Italian rice area. Its expansion is thought to follow a type of stratified dispersal, due both to insect adult active dispersal and to accidental movements caused by human transportation

Hpv 16 Is Related To The Progression Of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Grade 2: A Case Series.

Purpose. To describe the acquisition, persistence, and clearance of HPV infection in women with CIN 2 followed up for 12 months. Methods. Thirty-seven women with CIN 2 biopsy, who have proven referral to cervical smear showing low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and tested for HPV, were followed up for one year with cervical smear, colposcopy, and HPV test every three months. HPV DNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction and genotyping by reverse line blot hybridization assay. Results. CIN 2 regression rate was 49% (18/37), persistence as CIN 1 or CIN 2 was 22% (8/37), and progression to CIN 3 was 29% (11/37). Multiple HPV types were observed at admission in 41% (15/37) of cases. HPV 16 was detected at admission in 58% (11/19) of the cases that persisted/progressed and in 39% (7/18) of the cases that regressed. HPV 16 was considered possibly causal in 67% (10/15) of the cases that persisted or progressed and in 10% (1/10) of the cases that regressed (P = 0.01). Conclusion. Multiple HPV infections were frequently detected among women with CIN 2 at admission and during the followup. The CIN 2 associated with HPV 16 was more likely to persist or to progress to CIN 3.201332890

Noise conversion of Schottky diodes in mm-wave detectors under different nonlinear regimes: modeling and simulation versus measurement

This paper presents and discusses several methods for predicting the low-frequency (LF) noise at the output of a mm-wave detector. These methods are based on the extraction of LF noise source parameters from the single diode under a specific set of bias conditions and the transfer or conversion of these noise sources, under different operating conditions including cyclostationary regime, to the quasi-dc output of a mm-wave detector constructed with the same model of diode. The noise analysis is based on a conversion-matrix type formulation, which relates the carrier noisy sidebands of the input signal with the detector output spectrum through a pair of transfer functions obtained in commercial software. Measurements of detectors in individual and differential setups will be presented and compared with predictions.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) for the financial support provided through projects TEC2011-29264-C03-01, CONSOLIDER-INGENIO CSD2008-00068 (TERASENSE), TEC2014-58341-C4-1-R, FEDER co-funding, CONSOLIDER-INGENIO CSD2010-00064 and the University of Cantabria Industrial Doctorate programme 2014, project: “Estudio y Desarrollo de Tecnologías para Sistemas de Telecomunicación a Frecuencias Milimétricas y de Terahercios con Aplicación a Sistemas de Imaging en la Banda 90–100 GHz”

Methylprednisolone-induced toxic hepatitis after intravenous pulsed therapy for multiple sclerosis relapses

High-dose, intravenous methylprednisolone (MP) is the only recommended first-line treatment for multiple sclerosis relapses. However, there are increasing reports on liver toxicity induced by this treatment regimen. We report of 4 multiple sclerosis patients with no history of viral/metabolic liver disorders or alcohol/hepatotoxic drug intake, who developed hypertransaminasaemia following intravenous MP. In 2 of the patients, liver biopsy showed periportal fibrosis, piecemeal necrosis, and inflammatory cell infiltrates. A rechallenge test confirmed a causal association in 1 case. MP-induced liver toxicity may be more frequent than commonly thought and it is important to report this adverse reaction, which is potentially lethal, and to raise awareness on the potential hepatotoxicity of corticosteroid pulses

Seroprevalence of human papillomavirus 6, 11, 16, and 18 in young primiparous women in Sao Paulo, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Data on epidemiology of HPV infection are needed for the development of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine recommendations, especially in countries where HPV vaccination is not yet included in public vaccination programs. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of serum antibodies to HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 and associated factors among young women after birth of the first child. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in a large public maternity hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Three hundred one women aged 15 to 24 years who gave birth to their first child were recruited between 43 and 60 days after delivery. Seroprevalence was performed using a type-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on HPV Late protein 1 viruslike particles. The association of seroreactivity with these 4 HPV types with selected demographic and behavioral factors was assessed by Generalized Linear Model analysis. RESULTS: Fifty-eight (19.3%) women (95% confidence interval, 15.0%-24.2%) had antibodies to any of the 4 viruslike particles tested. The overall seroprevalence rates of the HPV types were: HPV16, 9.0%; HPV18, 7.0%; and HPV 6+11, 7.7%, which are targeted by the HPV prophylactic vaccines. In the multivariate analysis, only age (inversely, P = 0.044 for trend) and previous sexually transmitted disease (P = 0.008) were 2 factors independently associated with HPV seropositivity. CONCLUSIONS: These data offer additional information on the epidemiology of HPV in a group of young Brazilian women after first delivery and contribute to establish a baseline of HPV seroprevalence against which post-HPV vaccine era seroprevalence can be compared. PMID: 21051985 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]This study was supported by a research grant from the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization (ref: V20-181-13)