The Italian national trends in smoking initiation and cessation according to gender and education

Objectives. This study aims to assess the trend in initiation and cessation of smoking across successive birth cohorts, according to gender and education, in order to provide useful suggestion for tobacco control policy. Study design. The study is based on data from the ?Health conditions and resort to sanitary services? survey carried out in Italy from October 2004 to September 2005 by the National Institute of Statistics. Through a multisampling procedure a sample representative of the entire national territory was selected. Methods. In order to calculate trends in smoking initiation and cessation, data were stratified for birth cohorts, gender and edu- cation level, and analyzed through the life table method. Results. The cumulative probability of smoking initiation, across subsequent generations, shows a downward trend followed by a plateau. This result highlights that there is not a shred of evidence to support the hypothesis of an anticipation in smok- ing initiation. The cumulative probability of quitting, across subsequent generations, follows an upward trend, highlighting the growing tendency of smokers to become an ?early quitter?, who give up within 30 years of age. Conclusion. Results suggest that the Italian antismoking approach, for the most part targeted at preventing the initiation of smoking emphasising the negative consequences, has an effect on the early smoking cessation. Health policies should reinforce the existing trend of ?early quitting? through specific actions. In addition our results show that men with low education exhibit the higher probability of smoking initiation and the lower prob- ability of early quitting, and therefore should be targeted with special attention

Cognitive Impairment and Age-Related Vision Disorders: Their Possible Relationship and the Evaluation of the Use of Aspirin and Statins in a 65 Years-and-Over Sardinian Population

Neurological disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, vascular and mixed dementia) and visual loss (cataract, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy) are among the most common conditions that afflict people of at least 65 years of age. An increasing body of evidence is emerging, which demonstrates that memory and vision impairment are closely, significantly, and positively linked and that statins and aspirin may lessen the risk of developing age-related visual and neurological problems. However, clinical studies have produced contradictory results. Thus, the intent of the present study was to reliably establish whether a relationship exist between various types of dementia and age-related vision disorders, and to establish whether statins and aspirin may or may not have beneficial effects on these two types of disorders. We found that participants with dementia and/or vision problems were more likely to be depressed and displayed worse functional ability in basic and instrumental activities of daily living than controls. Mini mental state examination scores were significantly lower in patients with vision disorders compared to subjects without vision disorders. A closer association with macular degeneration was found in subjects with Alzheimer’s disease than in subjects without dementia or with vascular dementia, mixed dementia, or other types of age-related vision disorders. When we considered the associations between different types of dementia and vision disorders and the use of statins and aspirin, we found a significant positive association between Alzheimer’s disease and statins on their own or in combination with aspirin, indicating that these two drugs do not appear to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or improve its clinical evolution and may, on the contrary, favor its development. No significant association in statin use alone, aspirin use alone, or the combination of these was found in subjects without vision disorders but with dementia, and, similarly, none in subjects with vision disorders but without dementia. Overall, these results confirm the general impression so far; namely, that macular degeneration may contribute to cognitive disorders (Alzheimer’s disease in particular). In addition, they also suggest that, while statin and aspirin use may undoubtedly have some protective effects, they do not appear to be magic pills against the development of cognitive impairment or vision disorders in the elderly

Development of sexual organs and fecundity in Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 from the Sardinian waters (Mediterranean Sea)

In this paper we report information about the sexual maturity process of 245 Octopus vulgaris specimens (75 females and 170 males) from the Mediterranean Sea. For both sexes, six stages of sexual maturity (immature, developing, maturing, mature, spawning, and spent) are identified on the basis of macroscopic and microscopic observations of the reproductive system and linked with some reproductive indices. A good correspondence between gonad appearance and its histological structure is observed, highlighting, in females, how oviducal gland morphology plays a crucial role in the macroscopic evaluation of maturity. The Gonadosomatic and Hayashi indices, in the two genders, and the Oviducal Gland index in females alone do not allow distinguishing all the stages in an irrefutable way. Data on the potential fecundity, oocyte and spermatophore size are reported and compared with literature. In addition, spermatophore components are also computed. The results reported in this paper lead to easy identification of the different phases of sexual maturation of O. vulgaris and could constitute an important tool for defining assessment models in view of sound management of this species

Development of sexual organs and fecundity in Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 from the Sardinian waters (Mediterranean Sea)

In this paper we report information about the sexual maturity process of 245 Octopus vulgaris specimens (75 females and 170 males) from the Mediterranean Sea. For both sexes, six stages of sexual maturity (immature, developing, maturing, mature, spawning, and spent) are identified on the basis of macroscopic and microscopic observations of the reproductive system and linked with some reproductive indices. A good correspondence between gonad appearance and its histological structure is observed, highlighting, in females, how oviducal gland morphology plays a crucial role in the macroscopic evaluation of maturity. The Gonadosomatic and Hayashi indices, in the two genders, and the Oviducal Gland index in females alone do not allow distinguishing all the stages in an irrefutable way. Data on the potential fecundity, oocyte and spermatophore size are reported and compared with literature. In addition, spermatophore components are also computed. The results reported in this paper lead to easy identification of the different phases of sexual maturation of O. vulgaris and could constitute an important tool for defining assessment models in view of sound management of this species

The Borexino Thermal Monitoring & Management System and simulations of the fluid-dynamics of the Borexino detector under asymmetrical, changing boundary conditions

A comprehensive monitoring system for the thermal environment inside the Borexino neutrino detector was developed and installed in order to reduce uncertainties in determining temperatures throughout the detector. A complementary thermal management system limits undesirable thermal couplings between the environment and Borexino's active sections. This strategy is bringing improved radioactive background conditions to the region of interest for the physics signal thanks to reduced fluid mixing induced in the liquid scintillator. Although fluid-dynamical equilibrium has not yet been fully reached, and thermal fine-tuning is possible, the system has proven extremely effective at stabilizing the detector's thermal conditions while offering precise insights into its mechanisms of internal thermal transport. Furthermore, a Computational Fluid-Dynamics analysis has been performed, based on the empirical measurements provided by the thermal monitoring system, and providing information into present and future thermal trends. A two-dimensional modeling approach was implemented in order to achieve a proper understanding of the thermal and fluid-dynamics in Borexino. It was optimized for different regions and periods of interest, focusing on the most critical effects that were identified as influencing background concentrations. Literature experimental case studies were reproduced to benchmark the method and settings, and a Borexino-specific benchmark was implemented in order to validate the modeling approach for thermal transport. Finally, fully-convective models were applied to understand general and specific fluid motions impacting the detector's Active Volume.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1705.09078, arXiv:1705.0965

Maximum-likelihood retrieval of volcanic ash concentration and particle size from ground-based scanning lidar

An inversion methodology, named maximum-likelihood (ML) volcanic ash light detection and ranging (Lidar) retrieval (VALR-ML), has been developed and applied to estimate volcanic ash particle size and ash mass concentration within volcanic plumes. Both estimations are based on the ML approach, trained by a polarimetric backscattering forward model coupled with a Monte Carlo ash microphysical model. The VALR-ML approach is applied to Lidar backscattering and depolarization profiles, measured at visible wavelength during two eruptions of Mt. Etna, Catania, Italy, in 2010 and 2011. The results are compared with those of ash products derived from other parametric retrieval algorithms. A detailed comparison among these different retrieval techniques highlights the potential of VALR-ML to determine, on the basis of a physically consistent approach, the ash cloud area that must be interdicted to flight operations. Moreover, the results confirm the usefulness of operating scanning Lidars near active volcanic vents