Integrated Environmental Study for Beach Management: A Methodological Approach

This paper aims to present a project convened by the University of Genoa and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), in collaboration with Local Authorities, concerning the development of tools for beach management in the Riviera del Beigua (Liguria Region, Italy). The aim of the first step of the project is to assess the environmental state of resort beaches examining them interdisciplinary, through a data analysis based on a sound understanding of the components of the physical and the human system. The following step will be the treatment of the data, through the use of various instruments, which use a synthesis analysis, such as the traditional SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis, and the use of a set of environmental and socio-economic indicators. Finally, our ultimate target is to propose guidelines, which will supply an instrument to back up policies concerning beach planning and management.Costal management, Sustainable tourist, Integrated assessment, Indicators

Evaluating the impact of eDoS attacks to cloud facilities

The complexity of modern cloud facilities requires attentive management policies that should encompass all aspects of the system. Security is a critical issue, as intrusions, misuse or denial of service attacks may damage both the users and the cloud provider including its reputation on the market. Disruptive attacks happen fast, cause evident and short term damages and are usually the result of operations that are hard to disguise. On the other hand, Energy oriented Denial of Service (eDoS) attacks aim at producing continuous minor damages, eventually with long term consequences. These long lasting attacks are difficult to detect. In this paper we model and analyse the behaviour of a system under eDoS attack. We study the impact in terms of cloud energy consumption of an attack strategy previously proposed in the literature and compare it with other strategies that we propose. Our findings show that the strategy previously proposed in the literature, based on keeping the cloud close to saturation, is not optimal (from the point of view of the attacker) in presence of non-constant workload and that there is a trade-off between the aggressiveness of the attacker and the duration of the attack in order to maximise the damage

Unconventional criticality, scaling breakdown, and diverse universality classes in the Wilson-Cowan model of neural dynamics

M.A.M. acknowledges the Spanish Ministry and Agencia Estatal de investigación (AEI) through Project of Ref. PID2020-113681GB-I00, financed by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER “A way to make Europe,” as well as the Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación Universidad, Junta de Andalucía, and European Regional Development Fund, Project No. P20-00173 for financial support. H.C.P. acknowledges CAPES (PrInT Grant No. 88887.581360/2020-00) and is grateful for the hospitality of the Statistical Physics group at the Instituto Interuniversitario Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional at the University of Granada during her six-month stay, during which part of this work was developed. M.C. acknowledges support by CNPq (Grants No. 425329/2018-6 and No. 308703/2022-7), CAPES (Grant No. PROEX 23038.003069/2022-87), and FACEPE (Grant No. APQ-0642-1.05/18). This article was produced as part of the activities of Programa Institucional de Internacionalização (PrInt). We are also very thankful to R. Corral, S. di Santo, V. Buendia, J. Pretel, and I. L. D. Pinto for valuable discussions and comments on previous versions of the manuscript.The Wilson-Cowan model constitutes a paradigmatic approach to understanding the collective dynamics of networks of excitatory and inhibitory units. It has been profusely used in the literature to analyze the possible phases of neural networks at a mean-field level, e.g., assuming large fully connected networks. Moreover, its stochastic counterpart allows one to study fluctuation-induced phenomena, such as avalanches. Here we revisit the stochastic Wilson-Cowan model paying special attention to the possible phase transitions between quiescent and active phases. We unveil eight possible types of such transitions, including continuous ones with scaling behavior belonging to known universality classes—such as directed percolation and tricritical directed percolation—as well as six distinct ones. In particular, we show that under some special circumstances, at a so-called “Hopf tricritical directed percolation” transition, rather unconventional behavior is observed, including the emergence of scaling breakdown. Other transitions are discontinuous and show different types of anomalies in scaling and/or exhibit mixed features of continuous and discontinuous transitions. These results broaden our knowledge of the possible types of critical behavior in networks of excitatory and inhibitory units and are, thus, of relevance to understanding avalanche dynamics in actual neuronal recordings. From a more general perspective, these results help extend the theory of nonequilibrium phase transitions into quiescent or absorbing states.Consejería de ConocimientoInstituto Interuniversitario Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional at the University of GranadaInvestigación Universidad, Junta de AndalucíaSpanish MinistryCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior 88887.581360/2020-00 CAPESConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 23038.003069/2022-87, 308703/2022-7, 425329/2018-6 CNPqFundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco APQ-0642-1.05/18 FACEPEEuropean Regional Development Fund P20-00173 ERDFAgencia Estatal de Investigación MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, PID2020-113681GB-I00 AE

COMPARAÇÃO DE MÉTODOS DE CÁLCULO PARA ELEMENTOS DE MADEIRA LAMINADA CRUZADA (CLT) SUBMETIDOS À FLEXÃO

A madeira laminada cruzada – do inglês Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), é um material pouco usado atualmente no Brasil, mas com uma boa perspectiva num futuro próximo. Trata-se da colagem de pelo menos três camadas de placas de madeira com o sentido de suas fibras perpendiculares entre si (90°). Dessa forma, o material apresenta propriedades viáveis para que seja usado estruturalmente, substituindo materiais mais comuns nessa área, como aço, alvenaria e concreto. Há países em que essa tecnologia já é usada, como Canadá, Estados Unidos e Áustria, e, para isso, foram criadas normas para sua aplicação e dimensionamento. Baseados nas normativas mais usuais, o CLT Handbook (Estados Unidos) e o Pro:Holz (Áustria) possuem destaque e foram a base para o estudo deste artigo. A bibliografia estudada apresenta métodos diferentes para o dimensionamento e, consequentemente, estudo da flexão do CLT: o método gama, método K e “shear analogy”. Tais métodos levam em consideração diferentes aspectos do material, sendo diferentes entre si. Mesmo o método gama sendo o mais usual, possui menos detalhes e pode não ser o mais próximo da realidade, ao contrário do “shear analogy”, que, por sua vez, analisa cada parte do material em estudo, mostrando-se ser mais efetivo.Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is a material little used today in Brazil, but with a good perspective in the near future. It is the bonding of at least three layers of wooden boards with the direction of their fibers perpendicular to each other (90°). Thus, the material has viable properties for use structurally, and can be used in place of more common materials in this area, such as steel, masonry and concrete There are countries where this technology is already used, such as Canada, the United States and Austria, and for this, standards have been created for its application and sizing. Based on the most common regulations, the CLT Handbook (United States) and Pro:Holz (Austria) are highlighted and were the basis for the study of this article. The studied bibliography presents different methods for sizing and consequently study of CLT flexion: the gamma method, K method and "shear analogy". Such methods take into account different aspects of the material, being different from each other. Even the gamma method being the most usual, it has less detail and may not be the closest to reality, unlike the "shear analogy", which in turn analyzes each part of the material under study, proving to be more effective.La madera contralaminada (CLT) es un material poco utilizado hoy en Brasil, pero con una buena perspectiva en el futuro cercano. Es la unión de al menos tres capas de tablas de madera con la dirección de sus fibras perpendiculares entre sí (90°). Por lo tanto, el material tiene propiedades viables para su uso estructural, y se puede utilizar en lugar de materiales más comunes en esta área, como el acero, la mampostería y el hormigón. Hay países donde ya se utiliza esta tecnología, como Canadá, Estados Unidos y Austria, y para ello se han creado estándares para su aplicación y dimensionamiento. Sobre la base de las regulaciones más comunes, se destacan el Manual CLT (Estados Unidos) y Pro:Holz (Austria) y fueron la base para el estudio de este artículo. La bibliografía estudiada presenta diferentes métodos para el dimensionamiento y, en consecuencia, el estudio de la flexión CLT: el método gamma, el método K y la "analogía del cizallamiento". Tales métodos tienen en cuenta diferentes aspectos del material, siendo diferentes entre sí. Incluso siendo el método gamma el más habitual, tiene menos detalle y puede no ser el más cercano a la realidad, a diferencia de la "analogía del cizallamiento", que a su vez analiza cada parte del material en estudio, demostrando ser más efectivo.A madeira laminada cruzada – do inglês Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), é um material pouco usado atualmente no Brasil, mas com uma boa perspectiva num futuro próximo. Trata-se da colagem de pelo menos três camadas de placas de madeira com o sentido de suas fibras perpendiculares entre si (90°). Dessa forma, o material apresenta propriedades viáveis para que seja usado estruturalmente, substituindo materiais mais comuns nessa área, como aço, alvenaria e concreto. Há países em que essa tecnologia já é usada, como Canadá, Estados Unidos e Áustria, e, para isso, foram criadas normas para sua aplicação e dimensionamento. Baseados nas normativas mais usuais, o CLT Handbook (Estados Unidos) e o Pro:Holz (Áustria) possuem destaque e foram a base para o estudo deste artigo. A bibliografia estudada apresenta métodos diferentes para o dimensionamento e, consequentemente, estudo da flexão do CLT: o método gama, método K e “shear analogy”. Tais métodos levam em consideração diferentes aspectos do material, sendo diferentes entre si. Mesmo o método gama sendo o mais usual, possui menos detalhes e pode não ser o mais próximo da realidade, ao contrário do “shear analogy”, que, por sua vez, analisa cada parte do material em estudo, mostrando-se ser mais efetivo

Early bone healing around implant surfaces treated with variations in the resorbable blasting media method. A study in rabbits

Objective: this study aimed to histomorphologically and histomorphometrically evaluate the in vivo response to three variations in the resorbable blasting media (RBM) surface processing in a rabbit femur model. Study Design: screw root form implants with 3.75 mm in diameter by 8 mm in length presenting four surfaces (n=8 each): alumina-blasted/acid-etched (AB/AE), bioresorbable ceramic blasted (TCP), TCP + acid etching, and AB/AE + TCP were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The implants were placed at the distal femur of 8 New Zeland rabbits, remaining for 2 weeks in vivo. After sacrifice, the implants were nondecalcified processed to 30 micro m thickness slides for histomorphology and bone-to-implant contact (BIC) determination. Statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA at 95% level of significance considering implant surface as the independent variable and BIC as the dependent variable. Results: SEM and AFM showed that all surfaces presented rough textures and that calciu-hosohate particles were observed at the TCP group surface. Histologic evaluation showed intimate interaction between newly formed woven bone and all implant surfaces, demonstrating that all surfaces were biocompatible and osseoconductive. Significant differences in BIC were observed between the AB/AE and the AB/AE + TCP, and intermediate values observed for the TCP and TCP + Acid surfaces. Conclusion: irrespective of RBM processing variation, all surfaces were osseoconductive and biocaompatible. The differences in BIC between groups warrant further bone-implant interface biomechanical characterization

Consumo de benzodiazepinas y fármacos Z en una organización de la seguridad social nacional argentina: ¿uso racional o excesivo?

Benzodiazepines and “Z-drugs” (BZD/Z) are overprescribed in many countries. This study evaluates their consumption in a social security sector health insurance provider with national coverage in Argentina. With a descriptive and observational approach, outpatient dispensations of BZD/Zs were analyzed for people over 18 years old from April 2020 to March 2021, disaggregated by sex, age, active ingredient, and half-life. An annual prevalence of use of 11.6% was found among the 431,445 adult affiliates, with higher rates in women and in those over age 60. Overall consumption of BZD/Zs was 77.6 defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 enrollee-days. The average user received 5.1 annual dispensations and the equivalent of 1.4 DDD for each day of the year. BZD/Zs with long half-life were the most used. We found high levels of BZD/Z consumption and for longer periods than recommended. It is necessary to improve the quality of consumption and reduce the negative impact of inappropriate use of these drugs among treated individuals.Las benzodiazepinas y los “fármacos Z” (BZD-Z) se prescriben en exceso en muchos países. Este estudio evaluó su consumo en una organización de la seguridad social (obra social) de Argentina de alcance nacional. A partir de un diseño observacional descriptivo se analizó la dispensa ambulatoria de BZD-Z, entre abril 2020 y marzo 2021, a mayores de 18 años; desagregada por sexo, edad, principio activo y vida media. Se encontró una prevalencia anual de uso del 11,6% entre los 431.445 afiliados adultos, con valores más elevados en las mujeres y mayores de 60 años. El consumo global de BZD-Z fue de 77,6 dosis diarias definidas (DDD) cada 1.000 afiliados-día. El usuario promedio recibió 5,1 dispensas anuales y el equivalente a 1,4 DDD por cada día del año. Las BZD-Z más usadas fueron las de vida media larga. El consumo de BZD-Z resultó elevado y más prolongado que lo recomendado. Es necesario mejorar la calidad en el consumo y reducir el impacto negativo del uso inapropiado de estos fármacos entre los individuos tratados

Benzodiazepine and Z-drug consumption in a national social security organization in Argentina: rational or excessive use?

Las benzodiazepinas y los “fármacos Z” (BZD-Z) se prescriben en exceso en muchos países. Este estudio evaluó su consumo en una organización de la seguridad social (obra social) de Argentina de alcance nacional. A partir de un diseño observacional descriptivo se analizó la dispensa ambulatoria de BZD-Z, entre abril 2020 y marzo 2021, a mayores de 18 años; desagregada por sexo, edad, principio activo y vida media. Se encontró una prevalencia anual de uso del 11,6% entre los 431.445 afiliados adultos, con valores más elevados en las mujeres y mayores de 60 años. El consumo global de BZD-Z fue de 77,6 dosis diarias definidas (DDD) cada 1.000 afiliados-día. El usuario promedio recibió 5,1 dispensas anuales y el equivalente a 1,4 DDD por cada día del año. Las BZD-Z más usadas fueron las de vida media larga. El consumo de BZD-Z resultó elevado y más prolongado que lo recomendado. Es necesario mejorar la calidad en el consumo y reducir el impacto negativo del uso inapropiado de estos fármacos entre los individuos tratados.Benzodiazepines and “Z-drugs” (BZD/Z) are overprescribed in many countries. This study evaluates their consumption in a social security sector health insurance provider with national coverage in Argentina. With a descriptive and observational approach, outpatient dispensations of BZD/Zs were analyzed for people over 18 years old from April 2020 to March 2021, disaggregated by sex, age, active ingredient, and half-life. An annual prevalence of use of 11.6% was found among the 431,445 adult affiliates, with higher rates in women and in those over age 60. Overall consumption of BZD/Zs was 77.6 defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 enrollee-days. The average user received 5.1 annual dispensations and the equivalent of 1.4 DDD for each day of the year. BZD/Zs with long half-life were the most used. We found high levels of BZD/Z consumption and for longer periods than recommended. It is necessary to improve the quality of consumption and reduce the negative impact of inappropriate use of these drugs among treated individuals.Fil: Marin, Gustavo Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: del Mauro, Julieta Sofía. Instituto Obra Social de Las Fuerzas Armadas y de Seguridad; ArgentinaFil: Marin, Lupe. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Urtasun, Martín Alejandro. Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche; ArgentinaFil: Marin, Gina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Nucher, Daniel. Instituto Obra Social de Las Fuerzas Armadas y de Seguridad; ArgentinaFil: Dacher, Carlos. Instituto Obra Social de Las Fuerzas Armadas y de Seguridad; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Dario Diaz. Instituto Obra Social de Las Fuerzas Armadas y de Seguridad; ArgentinaFil: Cañás, Martín. Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche; Argentin

Discrimination between the activity of protein kinase CK2 holoenzyme and its catalytic subunits

AbstractThe acronym CK2 denotes a highly pleiotropic Ser/Thr protein kinase whose over-expression correlates with neoplastic growth. A vexed question about the enigmatic regulation of CK2 concerns the actual existence in living cells of the catalytic (α and/or α′) and regulatory β-subunits of CK2 not assembled into the regular heterotetrameric holoenzyme. Here we take advantage of novel reagents, namely a peptide substrate and an inhibitor which discriminate between the holoenzyme and the catalytic subunits, to show that CK2 activity in CHO cells is entirely accounted for by the holoenzyme. Transfection with individual subunits moreover does not give rise to holoenzyme formation unless the catalytic and regulatory subunits are co-transfected together, arguing against the existence of free subunits in CHO cells

Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on biomarkers in healthy and cancer populations: a systematic review

Background: Only a small number of articles have investigated the relationship between mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and biomarkers. The aim of this systematic review was to study the effect of MBIs on specific biomarkers (cytokines, neuropeptides and C-reactive protein (CRP)) in both healthy subjects and cancer patients. Methods: A search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cochrane library between 1980 and September 2016. Results: A total of 13 studies with 1110 participants were included. In the healthy population, MBIs had no effect on cytokines, but were found to increase the levels of the neuropeptide insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). With respect to neuropeptide Y, despite the absence of post-intervention differences, MBIs may enhance recovery from stress. With regard to CRP, MBIs could be effective in lower Body Mass Index (BMI) individuals. In cancer patients, MBIs seem to have some effect on cytokine levels, although it was not possible to determine which specific cytokines were affected. One possibility is that MBIs might aid recovery of the immune system, increasing the production of interleukin (IL)-4 and decreasing interferon gamma (IFN-gamma). Conclusions: MBIs may be involved in changes from a depressive/carcinogenic profile to a more normalized one. However, given the complexity and different contexts of the immune system, and the fact that this investigation is still in its preliminary stage, additional randomized controlled trials are needed to further establish the impact of MBI programmes on biomarkers in both clinical and non-clinical populations.Instituto de Salud Carlos III of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and CompetitivenessNetwork for Prevention and Health Promotion in primary Care from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain)European Union ERDF fundsAragon Hlth Sci Inst IACS, Zaragoza, SpainShowa Univ, Dept Psychiat, Sch Med, Tokyo, JapanPrimary Care Prevent & Hlth Promot Res Network RE, Barcelona, SpainUniv Zaragoza, Miguel Servet Univ Hosp, Dept Psychiat, Zaragoza, SpainUniv Zaragoza, Fac Social & Human Sci, Dept Psychol & Sociol, Teruel, SpainFed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Prevent Med, Mente Aberta Brazilian Ctr Mindfulness & Hlth Pro, Sao Paulo, BrazilHosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Zaragoza, Fac Hlth Sci & Sports, Huesca, SpainUniv Balearic Isl, Res Inst Hlth Sci IUNICS, Palma De Mallorca, SpainFed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Prevent Med, Mente Aberta Brazilian Ctr Mindfulness & Hlth Pro, Sao Paulo, BrazilInstituto de Salud Carlos III of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness: PI13/01637Network for Prevention and Health Promotion in primary Care from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain): RD12/0005Web of Scienc