371 research outputs found

    Roses and Lilies for Maria. A Painted Antiphone

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    El presente artículo analiza la simbología cristológico-mariana y los valores cifrados de una naturaleza muerta de carácter floral datada en el primer tercio del siglo XVII.This paper focuses upon the Christology and Marian symbols and the hidden notes of a “bodegón” of flowers (c. XVII Century: 1620-1640)

    I am going to make the most out of it! Italian university Credit Mobility Students' social representations of alcohol use during study abroad experiences

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    The aim was to explore shared representations of alcohol use in students who were to travel abroad to study. Focus group data from Italian students (N = 69) were collected. Analyses used Grounded Theory Methodology and were informed by the four key components of Social Representation Theory (cognition, emotion, attitude and behavioural intentions). The study abroad experience was described as one that would involve an increase in alcohol consumption compared to pre-departure levels. Reasons given included greater social and leisure opportunities involving alcohol, reduced social control and features of the host country environment. Opportunities to intervene and address risky alcohol use in this group are discussed

    Direct to implant breast reconstruction by using SERI®, preliminary report

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    Wave Tank Testing of a Pendulum Wave Energy Converter 1:12 Scale Model

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    Wave Energy is a widespread, reliable renewable energy source. The early study on Wave Energy dates back in the 70's, with a particular effort in the last and present decade to make Wave Energy Converters (WECs) more profitable and predictable. The PeWEC (Pendulum Wave Energy Converter) is a pendulum-based WEC. The research activities described in the present work aim to develop a pendulum converter for the Mediterranean Sea, where waves are shorter, thus with a higher frequency compared to the ocean waves, a characteristic well agreeing with the PeWEC frequency response. The mechanical equations of the device are developed and coupled with the hydrodynamic Cummins equation. The work deals with the design and experimental tank test of a 1:12 scale prototype. The experimental data recorded during the testing campaign are used to validate the numerical model previously described. The numerical model proved to be in good agreement with the experiments

    THE RECRUITMENT OF THE TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS ON A PATIENT SUBMITTED TO AN ABDOMINAL SURGERY - AN ULTRASOUND ANALYSIS

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    It has been shown that the onset of the transversus abdominis muscle (TrA) muscle on a patient with low back pain (LBP) is delayed (Hodges and Richardson, 1996). To date there is no studies assessing the impact on the TrA recruitment after an abdominal surgery. The study is investigating a possible back pain after a hernia surgery, which can be necessary to any athlete. Surgery and back pain are issues that should be considered to any activity, specially sports. The aim of this study is to indirectly assess the recruitment of the TrA on a patient submitted to abdominal surgery

    Association Between Infectious Agents and Lesions in Post-Weaned Piglets and Fattening Heavy Pigs With Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex (PRDC)

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    Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex (PRDC) is a multifactorial syndrome that causes health problems in growing pigs and economic losses to farmers. The etiological factors involved can be bacteria, viruses, or mycoplasmas. However, environmental stressors associated with farm management can influence the status of the animal's health. The role and impact of different microorganisms in the development of the disease can be complex, and these are not fully understood. The severity of lesions are a consequence of synergism and combination of different factors. The aim of this study was to systematically analyse samples, conferred to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (IZSLER, Brescia), with a standardized diagnostic protocol in case of suspected PRDC. During necropsy, the lungs and carcasses were analyzed to determine the severity and extension of lesions. Gross lung lesions were classified according to a pre-established scheme adapted from literature. Furthermore, pulmonary, pleural, and nasal lesions were scored to determine their severity and extension. Finally, the presence of infectious agents was investigated to identify the microorganisms involved in the cases studied. During the years 2014–2016, 1,658 samples of lungs and carcasses with PRDC from 863 farms were analyzed; among them 931 and 727 samples were from weaned piglets and fattening pigs, respectively. The most frequently observed lesions were characteristic of catarrhal bronchopneumonia, broncho-interstitial pneumonia, pleuropneumonia, and pleuritis. Some pathogens identified were correlated to specific lesions, whereas other pathogens to various lesions. These underline the need for the establishment of control and treatment programmes for individual farms

    Effect of Erdosteine on COPD Exacerbations in COPD Patients with Moderate Airflow Limitation

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    Background: The RESTORE study, a multi-national randomized, placebo-controlled study, showed that erdosteine - a muco-active antioxidant that modulates bacterial adhesiveness - reduced the rate and duration of exacerbations in moderate and severe COPD with a history of exacerbations. How much benefit patients with less severe disease experience when taking this drug remains unclear. Methods: This post hoc analysis of the 254 RESTORE participants with spirometrically-defined moderate COPD (post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1] 50\u201279% predicted) examined exacerbation rate and duration, time to first exacerbation, and exacerbation-free time. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparisons between treatment groups used Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, Mann-Whitney U-tests, or log rank tests. Results: Patients with moderate COPD received erdosteine 300 mg twice daily (n=126) or placebo (n=128) added to usual COPD therapy for 12 months. During this time, there were 53 exacerbations in the erdosteine group and 74 in the placebo group, with 42.1% and 57.8% of patients, respectively, experiencing an exacerbation. There was a 47% reduction in the mean exacerbation rate with erdosteine compared to placebo (0.27 vs 0.51 exacerbations per-patient per-year, respectively, P=0.003), and a 58.3% reduction in the mild exacerbation rate (0.23 vs 0.53 mild exacerbations per-patient per-year, P=0.001). Mean duration of exacerbations was 26% shorter in erdosteine-treated patients (9.1 vs 12.3 days for placebo, P=0.022), with significant reductions in the duration of mild and moderate-to-severe exacerbations. Mean time to first exacerbation was prolonged by 7.7% (182 days for erdosteine vs 169 days for placebo, P<0.001) and the mean exacerbation-free time was increased by 51 days (279 days for erdosteine vs 228 days for placebo; P<0.001). Conclusion: These results indicate that adding erdosteine to usual COPD maintenance therapy reduces the number of mild, and duration of all, exacerbations in patients with moderate COPD and a history of exacerbations

    Fluorescence lifetime microscopy unveils the supramolecular organization of liposomal Doxorubicin

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    The supramolecular organization of Doxorubicin (DOX) within the standard Doxoves® liposomal formulation (DOX®) is investigated using visible light and phasor approach to fluorescence lifetime imaging (phasor-FLIM). First, the phasor-FLIM signature of DOX® is resolved into the contribution of three co-existing fluorescent species, each with its characteristic mono-exponential lifetime, namely: crystallized DOX (DOXc, 0.2 ns), free DOX (DOXf, 1.0 ns), and DOX bound to the liposomal membrane (DOXb, 4.5 ns). Then, the exact molar fractions of the three species are determined by combining phasor-FLIM with quantitative absorption/fluorescence spectroscopy on DOXc, DOXf, and DOXb pure standards. The final picture on DOX® comprises most of the drug in the crystallized form (∼98%), with the remaining fractions divided between free (∼1.4%) and membrane-bound drug (∼0.7%). Finally, phasor-FLIM in the presence of a DOX dynamic quencher allows us to suggest that DOXf is both encapsulated and non-encapsulated, and that DOXb is present on both liposome-membrane leaflets. We argue that the present experimental protocol can be applied to the investigation of the supramolecular organization of encapsulated luminescent drugs/molecules all the way from the production phase to their state within living matter
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