On the “blindness” of blindsight: What is the evidence for phenomenal awareness in the absence of primary visual cortex (V1)?

Blindsight has been central to theories of phenomenal awareness; that a lesion to primary visual cortex (V1) abolishes all phenomenal awareness while unconscious visual functions can remain has led to the views that this region plays in generating visual consciousness. However, since the early 20th century, there have been reports, many of which controversial, of phenomenal awareness in patients with V1 lesions. These reports include selective sparing of motion awareness, hemianopic completion and visual aftereffects. More recently, there have been successful attempts of inducing visual qualia with noninvasive brain stimulation. Here we critically review this evidence and discuss their implications to theoretical understanding of phenomenal awareness

Effect of juice turbidity on fermentative volatile compounds in white wines

'Chardonnay' (n = 4), 'Pinot gris' (n = 3) and 'Müller-Thurgau' juices (n = 3), each at 6 turbidity levels (15, 45, 86, 141, 215 and 350 NTU) obtained by adding increasing amounts of their own fine juice lees, were fermented using 'Montrachet Red Star' yeast. The main volatile compounds in free form which may have a sensory role were measured using GC-FID, with a DB-WAX column, after fixing onto Isolute ENV+ resin. Changes for around 40 volatile compounds and fermentation parameters are shown. Juice turbidity levels just below 100 NTU are the best compromise for obtaining adequate fruity notes and minimising languishing fermentation and off-flavours in white wine, if correct microbiology management at the winery is guaranteed, whereas slightly higher NTU levels could contribute to a slightly more complex aroma. However, variability due to juice turbidity in the range investigated is lower than variability due to yeast strain observed in a previous experiment. Thus the choice of yeast strain to direct white wine aroma must be overriding as compared to NTU levels.

Enhanced performance in fusion plasmas through turbulence suppression by megaelectronvolt ions

Alpha particles with energies on the order of megaelectronvolts will be the main source of plasma heating in future magnetic confinement fusion reactors. Instead of heating fuel ions, most of the energy of alpha particles is transferred to electrons in the plasma. Furthermore, alpha particles can also excite Alfvénic instabilities, which were previously considered to be detrimental to the performance of the fusion device. Here we report improved thermal ion confinement in the presence of megaelectronvolts ions and strong fast ion-driven Alfvénic instabilities in recent experiments on the Joint European Torus. Detailed transport analysis of these experiments reveals turbulence suppression through a complex multi-scale mechanism that generates large-scale zonal flows. This holds promise for more economical operation of fusion reactors with dominant alpha particle heating and ultimately cheaper fusion electricity

Effects of forcing in three dimensional turbulent flows

We present the results of a numerical investigation of three-dimensional homogeneous and isotropic turbulence, stirred by a random forcing with a power law spectrum, $E_f(k)\sim k^{3-y}$. Numerical simulations are performed at different resolutions up to $512^3$. We show that at varying the spectrum slope $y$, small-scale turbulent fluctuations change from a {\it forcing independent} to a {\it forcing dominated} statistics. We argue that the critical value separating the two behaviours, in three dimensions, is $y_c=4$. When the statistics is forcing dominated, for $y<y_c$, we find dimensional scaling, i.e. intermittency is vanishingly small. On the other hand, for $y>y_c$, we find the same anomalous scaling measured in flows forced only at large scales. We connect these results with the issue of {\it universality} in turbulent flows.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Le conseguenze sulla spesa farmaceutica pubblica di un nuovo inibitore di pompa protonica: esomeprazolo

Aim of the present study is to check the economic advantage of esomeprazole, a new proton pump inhibitor that suppresses gastric acid secretion. The efficacy and tolerability of esomeprazole have been already demonstrated, now the pharmacoeconomic studies must investigate the possible savings for the SSN in case of esomeprazole immission on the Italian market. In this paper the authors present two pharmacoeconomic evaluations, the first based on cost/efficacy analysis, the second based on cost minimization analysis. For both analyses, the term of comparison is omeprazole, “gold standard” in the treatment of acid reflux-related pathologies. The effect in terms of volumes (DDD) and costs of the introduction of esomeprazole in the italian market has also been simulated

NUV-HD SiPMs with metal-filled trenches

In this paper we present the performance of a new SiPM that is sensitive to blue light and features narrow metal-filled trenches placed in the area around the single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) that allow an almost complete suppression the internal optical crosstalk. In particular, we show the benefits of this technological upgrade in terms of electro-optical SiPM performance when compared to the previous technology which had only a partial optical screening between the SPADs. The most relevant effect is the much higher bias voltage that can be applied to the new device before the noise diverges. This allows to optimize and improve both the photon detection efficiency and the single-photon time resolution. We also coupled the SiPMs to LYSO scintillators to verify the performance for possible application in Positron-Emission Tomography. Thanks to the better electro-optical features we were able to measure an improved coincidence time resolution. Furthermore, the optimal voltage operation region is substantially larger, making this SiPM more suitable for real system application where thousands of channels have to provide stable and reproducible performance

Attitudes of nursing home staff towards influenza vaccination: opinions and factors influencing hesitancy

Seasonal influenza is recognized to be a significant public health problem and a cause of death, especially in fragile persons. In nursing homes (NHs), vaccination for both residents and staff is the best preventive strategy. However, professionals\u2019 immunization rates are far from reaching the international recommended values. This study aims to describe the adherence and attitudes of NH staff towards flu vaccination and to explore staff hesitancy. A questionnaire was developed based on a literature review and on the 3Cs (confidence, complacency, convenience) of the WHO framework and administered among the staff of four NHs of a province in the northeast of Italy. Results demonstrated a low adherence towards annual vaccination (i.e., only 3% declared getting the flu vaccination each year). Complacency, confidence and convenience all showed a significant impact on the attitude towards vaccination both in univariate and multivariable analysis, with complacency being the most strongly associated area. The area of confidence resulted in strongly challenging factors. Only 24.8% of interviewees appeared trustful towards the efficacy of receiving immunization and 34% declared safety issues. Insights from the study can support the implementation of effective interventions to improve vaccination adherence in NHs. Specifically, increasing complacency by raising awareness related to the risks of influenza appears to be an essential strategy to effectively promote vaccination uptake

Deciphering ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm hemodynamics in relation to biomechanical properties

The degeneration of the arterial wall at the basis of the ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) is a complex multifactorial process, which may lead to clinical complications and, ultimately, death. Individual genetic, biological or hemodynamic factors are inadequate to explain the heterogeneity of ATAA development/progression mechanisms, thus stimulating the analysis of their complex interplay. Here the disruption of the hemodynamic environment in the ATAA is investigated integrating patient-specific computational hemodynamics, CT-based in vivo estimation of local aortic stiffness and advanced fluid mechanics methods of analysis. The final aims are (1) deciphering the ATAA spatiotemporal hemodynamic complexity and its link to near-wall topological features, and (2) identifying the existing links between arterial wall degeneration and hemodynamic insult. Technically, two methodologies are applied to computational hemodynamics data, the wall shear stress (WSS) topological skeleton analysis, and the Complex Networks theory. The same analysis was extended to the healthy aorta. As main findings of the study, we report that: (1) different spatiotemporal heterogeneity characterizes the ATAA and healthy hemodynamics, that markedly reflect on their WSS topological skeleton features; (2) a link (stronger than canonical WSS-based descriptors) emerges between the variation of contraction/expansion action exerted by WSS on the endothelium along the cardiac cycle, and ATAA wall stiffness. The findings of the study suggest the use of advanced methods for a deeper understanding of the hemodynamics disruption in ATAA, and candidate WSS topological skeleton features as promising indicators of local wall degeneration

Chemokines in hyperthyroidism

The term “hyperthyroidism” indicates a condition due to an exaggerate production of thyroid hormone; the most frequent cause is Graves’ disease (GD). We review cytokines and chemokines in hyperthyroidism, with a special focus in GD. In GD, recruited Th1 lymphocytes are responsible for enhanced IFN-γ and TNF-α production, which in turn stimulates Th1 chemokines release from thyrocytes, initiating and perpetuating the autoimmune process. Circulating levels of these chemokines are associated with the active phase of GD. Additional studies are necessary to investigate whether Th1 chemokines could be a novel therapeutic target in this disease