Self-presentation and emotional contagion on Facebook: new experimental measures of profiles' emotional coherence

Social Networks allow users to self-present by sharing personal contents with others which may add comments. Recent studies highlighted how the emotions expressed in a post affect others' posts, eliciting a congruent emotion. So far, no studies have yet investigated the emotional coherence between wall posts and its comments. This research evaluated posts and comments mood of Facebook profiles, analyzing their linguistic features, and a measure to assess an excessive self-presentation was introduced. Two new experimental measures were built, describing the emotional loading (positive and negative) of posts and comments, and the mood correspondence between them was evaluated. The profiles "empathy", the mood coherence between post and comments, was used to investigate the relation between an excessive self-presentation and the emotional coherence of a profile. Participants publish a higher average number of posts with positive mood. To publish an emotional post corresponds to get more likes, comments and receive a coherent mood of comments, confirming the emotional contagion effect reported in literature. Finally, the more empathetic profiles are characterized by an excessive self-presentation, having more posts, and receiving more comments and likes. To publish emotional contents appears to be functional to receive more comments and likes, fulfilling needs of attention-seeking.Comment: Submitted to Complexit

Explicit Complex Solutions to the Fresnel Coefficients

Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) is a microwave remote sensing technique which can be used to derive information about the composition or the properties of ground surfaces. The received power of the GPS signals reflected by the ground is proportional to the magnitude of the reflection Fresnel coefficients In particular, it depends on the incidence angle $\theta$ and on the ground's permittivity $\epsilon$. The knowledge of $\epsilon$ is important for determining various conditions and characteristics of the surface (e.g., soil moisture, salinity, freeze-thaw transitions). The value of $\epsilon$ can be found from the Fresnel reflection coefficients, for a given incidence angle $\theta$. For dispersive media, $\epsilon$ is a complex quantity; we present explicit formulas, which express both $\Re(\varepsilon)$ and $\Im(\varepsilon)$ as a function of the incident angle $\theta$ and of the magnitude of the linearly polarized Fresnel reflection coefficients

Determining Real Permittivity from Fresnel Coefficients in GNSS-R

Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) can be used to derive information about the composition or the properties of ground surfaces, by analyzing signals emitted by GNSS satellites and reflected from the ground. If the received power is measured with linearly polarized antennas, under the condition of smooth surface, the reflected signal is proportional to the modulus of the perpendicular and parallel polarization Fresnel coefficients, which depend on the incidence angle θ, and on the dielectric constant ε of the soil. In general, ε is a complex number; for non-dispersive soils, the imaginary part of ε can be neglected, and a real value of ε is sought. We solve the real valued problem explicitly giving formulas that can be used to determine the dielectric constant ε and we compare the analytical solution with experimental data in the case of sand soil

756 stable amelioration of hemophilia b in dogs by intravenous administration of lentiviral vectors expressing hyper functional factor ix

Lentiviral vectors (LVs) are attractive vehicles for liver-directed gene therapy by virtue of their ability to stably integrate in the genome of target cells and the low prevalence of pre-existing immunity against HIV in humans. Over the past years, we have developed a LV platform that can achieve stable transgene expression in the liver, induce transgene-specific immune tolerance and establish correction of hemophilia in mouse models upon systemic administration. This LV is designed to stringently target transgene expression to hepatocytes through transcriptional and microRNA-mediated regulation. We then investigated the efficacy and safety profile of portal vein administration of LVs expressing canine factor IX (FIX) in a canine model of hemophilia B. We produced large-scale batches of LVs qualified for in vivo administration and treated adult hemophilia B dog by portal vein administration. We observed long-term stable reconstitution of canine FIX activity up to 1% of normal and significant amelioration of the clinical phenotype in 3 treated dogs with 6, 3.5 and 2.5 years of follow up. LV infusion was associated with transient signs of inflammatory response and mild hepatotoxicity, which could be abrogated by pretreatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. There was no detectable long-term toxicity or development of FIX inhibitors. In the perspective of clinical translation and to increase therapeutic efficacy, we next treated two 10-kg hemophilia B dogs by peripheral vein administration of LVs expressing a codon-optimized and hyperfunctional canine FIX at a 5-fold higher dose than those previously administered. Intravenous LV administration was well tolerated with mild and self-limiting elevation of aminotransferases in one dog. In the dog that reached more than 1 year of follow up FIX activity ranged between 4-8% of normal. Treatment of two more dogs at a higher dose is underway. Overall, our studies position LV-mediated liver gene therapy for further pre-clinical development and clinical translation. LVs may thus complement other available vectors to address some of the outstanding challenges posed by liver gene therapy of hemophilia and conceivably other diseases

Bisoprolol in the treatment of chronic heart failure: from pathophysiology to clinical pharmacology and trial results

Clinical trials have consistently shown the benefits of beta-blocker treatment in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). As a result, bisoprolol, carvedilol, and metoprolol succinate are now indicated for the treatment of all patients with chronic HF who do not have major contraindications. Bisoprolol is the first beta-blocker shown to improve survival in an outcome trial. In the Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study II (CIBIS-II), all-cause mortality and sudden death were reduced in patients treated with bisoprolol compared with those on placebo (11.8% vs 17.3%; p < 0.0001 and 3.6% vs 6.3%, p < 0.002; respectively) regardless of age, NYHA functional class, and co-morbidities. Further studies have shown both the efficacy of bisoprolol on secondary endpoints and patients subgroups as well its high cost effectiveness. More recently, CIBIS-III has shown similar efficacy and safety of the initiation of HF treatment with either bisoprolol or enalapril, with a tendency to a survival advantage with bisoprolol. Nowadays, the role of bisoprolol, as well as that of carvedilol and metoprolol succinate, in HF treatment is firmly established and research is mainly focused on implementation of treatment and better dosing. This article will summarize evidence for the efficacy of bisoprolol in the treatment of HF

28. Intravenous Administration of Lentiviral Vectors Expressing Hyperactive Factor IX Converts Severe Into Mild Hemophilia B in a Canine Model

Lentiviral vectors (LVs) are attractive vehicles for liver-directed gene therapy by virtue of their ability to stably integrate in the genome of target cells and the lack of pre-existing immunity against vector components in most humans. Over the past years, we have developed a LV platform that can achieve stable transgene expression in the liver, induce transgene-specific immune tolerance and establish correction of hemophilia in mouse models upon systemic administration. This LV is designed to stringently target transgene expression to hepatocytes through transcriptional and microRNA-mediated regulation. We then investigated the efficacy and safety profile of portal vein administration of LVs expressing wild-type, codon-optimized (c.o.) or c.o. and hyperactive factor IX (FIX) in a canine model of hemophilia B. We produced large-scale batches of LVs qualified for in vivo administration and treated adult hemophilia B dog by portal vein administration. We observed long-term stable reconstitution of canine FIX activity up to 1% of normal and significant amelioration of the clinical phenotype in 3 treated dogs (>9 years cumulative follow up). LV infusion was associated with transient signs of inflammation and mild hepatotoxicity, which could be abrogated by pretreatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. There was no detectable long-term toxicity or development of FIX inhibitors. In the perspective of clinical translation and to increase therapeutic efficacy, we next treated an 11-kg, hemophilia B dog by peripheral vein administration of LVs expressing the c.o. and hyperactive canine FIX at a 5-fold higher dose than those previously administered. At the current follow-up (3 months after gene therapy) FIX activity is 6-9% of normal. Intravenous LV administration, coupled with a 1-day anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine pre-treatment, induced mild and selflimiting leukopenia and elevation of aminotransferases. Treatment of more hemophilia B dogs is underway to confirm and extend these results. Overall, our studies, which suggest comparable efficacy of LV by both portal and peripheral vein administration, position LV-mediated liver gene therapy for further pre-clinical development and clinical translation. LVs may thus complement other available vectors to address some of the outstanding challenges posed by liver gene therapy of hemophilia and conceivably other diseases