The Intergenerational transmission of liberal professions: nepotism versus abilities

By using university administrative and survey data on Italian graduates, we analyze the transmission of liberal professions from fathers to children. We assess the effect of nepotism and family networking, separately from other transmission channels, on the probability of choosing a degree that gives access to liberal professions, of obtaining a licensing and of starting a liberal profession. The results suggest that the effect of nepotism and networking is irrelevant on the degree choice, modest on the success rate at the licensing exam, but large and significant on the probability to start a liberal professio

Analysis of food supplement with unusual raspberry ketone content

In recent years food supplement market increased constantly, including slimming products and against obesity. The case of rasberry ketone (RK) is here reported. HPTLC and HPLC-DAD analyses on a marketed product containing raspberry juice evidenced an abnormal quantity of RK, not in accordance with the juice natural content. The reported data confirm the need of adequate controls on marketed food supplements and the necessity of a complete adherence between labelling and real constitution of the product. Practical Applications: Determining the natural origin and assuring the consumers' safety for raspberry-based food supplement

Infrared study of the charge-ordered multiferroic LuFe(2)O(4)

The reflectivity of a large LuFe(2)O(4) single crystal has been measured with the radiation field either perpendicular or parallel to the c axis of its rhombohedral structure, from 10 to 500K, and from 7 to 16000 cm-1. The transition between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional charge order at T_(CO) = 320 K is found to change dramatically the phonon spectrum in both polarizations. The number of the observed modes above and below T_(CO), according to a factor-group analysis, is in good agreement with a transition from the rhombohedral space group R{bar 3}m to the monoclinic C2/m. In the sub-THz region a peak becomes evident at low temperature, whose origin is discussed in relation with previous experiments.Comment: Physical Review B in pres

Mild behavioral impairment in Parkinson's disease: Data from the Parkinson's disease cognitive impairment study (PACOS)

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) have been frequently described in Parkinson's disease (PD), even in the earliest stages of the disease. Recently the construct of mild behavioral impairment (MBI) has been proposed as an at-risk state for incident cognitive decline and dementia. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of MBI in PD. Cross-sectional data from 429 consecutive PD patients enrolled in the PArkinson's disease COgnitive impairment Study (PACOS) were included in the study. All subjects underwent neuropsychological assessment, according to the MDS Level II criteria. NPS were evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate clinical and behavioral characteristics, which are associated with PD-MBI. The latter was ascertained in 361 (84.1%) subjects of whom 155 (36.1%) were newly diagnosed patients (disease duration ≥1 year) and 206 (48.0%) had a disease duration <1 year. Furthermore, 68 (15.9%) out of 429 subjects were PDw (without MBI). Across the MBI domains, Impulse Dyscontrol was significantly more prevalent among PD-MBI with disease duration <1 year than newly diagnosed patients. The frequency of Social Inappropriateness and Abnormal Perception significantly increased throughout the entire PD-MBI sample with increasing Hoehn andYahr (H&Y) stages. PD-MBI in newly diagnosed PDwas significantly associated with H&Y stage (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.05-5.24) and marginally with antidepressant drug use (OR 2.94, 95% CI 0.91-9.47), while in patients with a disease duration >1 year was associated with UPDRS-ME (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.41-8.00). The overall MBI frequency in the PACOS sample was 84% and 36% among newly diagnosed patients. The presence of MBI mainly related to motor impairment and disability

Dynamical decoherence of the light induced interlayer coupling in YBa2_{2}Cu3_{3}O6+δ_{6+\delta}

Optical excitation of apical oxygen vibrations in YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6+\delta}$ has been shown to enhance its c-axis superconducting-phase rigidity, as evidenced by a transient blue shift of the equilibrium inter-bilayer Josephson plasma resonance. Surprisingly, a transient c-axis plasma mode could also be induced above T$_{c}$ by the same apical oxygen excitation, suggesting light activated superfluid tunneling throughout the pseudogap phase of YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6+\delta}$. However, despite the similarities between the above T$_{c}$ transient plasma mode and the equilibrium Josephson plasmon, alternative explanations involving high mobility quasiparticle transport should be considered. Here, we report an extensive study of the relaxation of the light-induced plasmon into the equilibrium incoherent phase. These new experiments allow for a critical assessment of the nature of this mode. We determine that the transient plasma relaxes through a collapse of its coherence length rather than its carrier (or superfluid) density. These observations are not easily reconciled with quasiparticle interlayer transport, and rather support transient superfluid tunneling as the origin of the light-induced interlayer coupling in YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6+\delta}$.Comment: 27 pages (17 pages main text, 10 pages supplementary), 5 figures (main text

Association of cytogenetic abnormalities in a neuroblastoma and fragile sites expression.

A 15 month old boy with a stage IV right suprarenal gland neuroblastoma showed a number of raised biochemical parameters, whilst catecholamines and skeletal survey were normal. Treatment with peptichemio failed to give a clinical response. Histological evidence of neuroblastoma infiltration in the bone marrow aspirate was absent. Immunofluorescence on sedimented cells was negative using antibody UJ223.8, PI153/3 and H11; only UJ308 and to a lesser extent UJ13A gave positive results. After 21 days, however, the same cells in culture showed highly differentiated dendritic processes. Thirty-seven percent metaphases from bone marrow aspirate showed the following karyotype 45XY, del (1) (p32), and two markers. Mar1 = der (2) t (2; 2) (2qter----2q14::2p24----2qter). Mar2 = der (15) t (15; 2) (15qter----15p11::2p11----2pter). Treatment with methotrexate reduced the aberrant mitoses rate to 2%. N-myc in situ hybridisation showed significant signal on both markers confirming the cytogenetic interpretation. Peripheral blood lymphocytes at 72 h showed a higher level of breaks per cell than control. After treatment with aphidicolin (APC) or methotrexate (MTX) for the last 24 h, to induce fragile sites, the incidence of breaks per cells was increased. Moreover 11.4% of APC-induced breaks were in 1p31-32 (mean of normal controls = 2.3%). The mother presented an increased sensitivity to the inducibility of fragile sites, while the father's lymphocytes showed values within the control range. The genetic changes produced by the abnormalities on chromosomes 1 and 2 might be related to tumour progression. Furthermore this is the first description of correlation between a high frequency of fragile site 1p31-32 induced by APC in the patient's lymphocytes and deletion of 1p32 in tumour cells. The interpretation of these findings and of other similar correlations needs further study

Incidence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in Parkinson's disease: The Parkinson's disease cognitive impairment study

Background: Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) includes a spectrum varying from Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) to PD Dementia (PDD). The main aim of the present study is to evaluate the incidence of PD-MCI, its rate of progression to dementia, and to identify demographic and clinical characteristics which predict cognitive impairment in PD patients. Methods: PD patients from a large hospital-based cohort who underwent at least two comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations were retrospectively enrolled in the study. PD-MCI and PDD were diagnosed according to the Movement Disorder Society criteria. Incidence rates of PD-MCI and PDD were estimated. Clinical and demographic factors predicting PD-MCI and dementia were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard model. Results: Out of 139 enrolled PD patients, 84 were classified with normal cognition (PD-NC), while 55 (39.6%) fulfilled the diagnosis of PD-MCI at baseline. At follow-up (mean follow-up 23.5 ± 10.3 months) 28 (33.3%) of the 84 PD-NC at baseline developed MCI and 4 (4.8%) converted to PDD. The incidence rate of PD-MCI was 184.0/1000 pyar (95% CI 124.7-262.3). At multivariate analysis a negative association between education and MCI development at follow-up was observed (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.15-0.89; p = 0.03). The incidence rate of dementia was 24.3/1000 pyar (95% CI 7.7-58.5). Out of 55 PD-MCI patients at baseline, 14 (25.4%) converted to PDD, giving an incidence rate of 123.5/1000 pyar (95% CI 70.3-202.2). A five time increased risk of PDD was found in PD patients with MCI at baseline (RR 5.09, 95% CI 1.60-21.4). Conclusion: Our study supports the relevant role of PD-MCI in predicting PDD and underlines the importance of education in reducing the risk of cognitive impairment

Cardiovascular autonomic function and MCI in Parkinson's disease

Introduction: dysautonomic dysfunction and cognitive impairment represent the most disabling non-motor features of Parkinson's Disease (PD). Recent evidences suggest the association between Orthostatic Hypotension (OH) and PD-Dementia. However, little is known on the interactions between cardiovascular dysautonomia and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). We aimed to evaluate the association between cardiovascular dysautonomia and MCI in patients with PD. Methods: non-demented PD patients belonging to the PACOS cohort underwent a comprehensive instrumental neurovegetative assessment including the study of both parasympathetic and sympathetic function (30:15 ratio, Expiratory-Inspiratory ratio [E-I] and presence of Orthostatic Hypotension [OH]). Diagnosis of MCI was made according to the MDS criteria level II. Results: we enrolled 185 PD patients of whom 102 (55.1%) were men, mean age was 64.6 ± 9.7 years, mean disease duration of 5.6 ± 5.5 years with a mean UPDRS-ME score of 31.7 ± 10.9. MCI was diagnosed in 79 (42.7%) patients. OH was recorded in 52 (28.1%) patients, altered 30:15 ratio was recorded in 39 (24.1%) patients and an altered E-I ratio was found in 24 (19.1%) patients. Presence of MCI was associated with an altered 30:15 ratio (adjOR 2.83; 95%CI 1.25–6.40) but not with an altered E-I ratio, while OH was associated only with the amnestic MCI subgroup (OR 2.43; 95% CI 1.05–5.06). Conclusion: in our study sample, MCI was mainly associated with parasympathetic dysfunction in PD

Milking procedures and milk ejection in Italian Brown cows

The aim of the study was to describe, on the basis of field data, the traits of milk flow curves of Italian Brown cows and to investigate some sources of variation. A total of 1,450 milk flow curves of the whole udder were collected in 81 Italian Brown dairy herds in Lombardy, Italy, using electronic mobile milk flow meters. Parity order and days in milk affected most milk flow traits. Milk flow curves showed some defects dependent on milking management practices: very long machine-on time, long duration of overmilking phase, high percentage of stripping and moderate percentage of bimodality