The Potential Impact of a Dog Training Program on the Animal Adoptions in an Italian Shelter

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Human–dog relationships are mainly focused on the physical and emotional wellbeing, and has much evolved in the last decades, becoming even more intense over time. Such a novel conception should also be applied to the life that takes place in kennels, which have been mistakenly regarded as a landfill or a burden on society for too many years. Here, we took into consideration an Italian shelter, and analyzed 555 adopted dogs who underwent a well-detailed behavioral training program, to assess the potential impact of the education upon the adoption of attitude. We documented a higher increase in the number of adoptions both for adult and senior animals when compared to the age-matched untrained dogs. Collectively, our data highlight the importance of a proper training, mainly accomplished with reward methods, to get a more suitable and balanced owner-dog attachment. ABSTRACT: One of the main concerns of the human–dog relationship is today associated with the quality life inside the kennels, which are very often regarded as animal dump where dogs are exiled, representing a burden on society. In the present study we sought to investigate the importance of performing an appropriate behavioral program on the adoption chances within an Italian shelter, near Naples (Ottaviano). In this respect, we enrolled 555 adopted dogs of different ages, who followed a tailored-4-month lasting training program between 2018 and 2020. Once entered there, they were carefully examined by the veterinary behaviorist, and directed towards a suited training program, to improve living conditions. We documented a higher number of both adult and senior dogs who left the kennel and were adopted, compared to the age-matched untrained animals (n = 479), housed in the same kennel from 2015 to 2017. Taken together, the present data highlight an important role for training in improving the natural attitudes of the companion dogs, thus pointing towards a better human–animal bond

The teaching ofthe decimals numbers: the analysis ofthe positional value and an approximation to the density

En este trabajo reflexionamos acerca de algunos aspectos vinculados al aprendizaje y a la enseñanza de los números decimales. En primer lugar, nos referimos al análisis del valor positional en las notaciones decimales en donde se intenta mostrar cómo se ponen en juego las concepciones iniciales de los alumnos sobre los números decimales y St da cuenta de los conocimientos disponibles y las dificultades que pueden constituirse en puntos de partida para nuevos aprendizajes. Luego iniciamos un primer análisis acerca del significado del valor de las cifras en las diferentes posiciones que tienen en la escritura. En segundo lugar, se aborda el tratamiento de la densidad. Se analizan los procedimientos y las reflexiones que llevan a cabo los alumnos, a propósito de problemas con los cuales se intenta descubrir el modo en que los niños conciben, inicialmente, a los decimales como subunidades que llegan a un límite más allá del cual resultan indivisibles, y se les exige, en cambio, pensar en la posibilidad de subdivisiones menores.In this work we intend to analyze some aspects about the learning and teaching of decimal numbers. First, we will refer to the analysis ofthe place value in decimal notations, pointing to some students’ initial conceptions about decimal numbers, as they show available knowledge and difficulties that will be been able to constitute starting points for a new learning. This study begins a first analysis about the meaning ofthe value ofthe figures in the different positions in this writings. Second, the treatment of the density at school is approached. We present procedures and students’ reflections about problems that try to challenge the way in which children conceive initially decimal numbers as subunits that arrive to a limit beyond which are indivisible. Those problems demand them on the other hand to think about smaller subdivisions.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación (FAHCE

The teaching ofthe decimals numbers: the analysis ofthe positional value and an approximation to the density

En este trabajo reflexionamos acerca de algunos aspectos vinculados al aprendizaje y a la enseñanza de los números decimales. En primer lugar, nos referimos al análisis del valor positional en las notaciones decimales en donde se intenta mostrar cómo se ponen en juego las concepciones iniciales de los alumnos sobre los números decimales y St da cuenta de los conocimientos disponibles y las dificultades que pueden constituirse en puntos de partida para nuevos aprendizajes. Luego iniciamos un primer análisis acerca del significado del valor de las cifras en las diferentes posiciones que tienen en la escritura. En segundo lugar, se aborda el tratamiento de la densidad. Se analizan los procedimientos y las reflexiones que llevan a cabo los alumnos, a propósito de problemas con los cuales se intenta descubrir el modo en que los niños conciben, inicialmente, a los decimales como subunidades que llegan a un límite más allá del cual resultan indivisibles, y se les exige, en cambio, pensar en la posibilidad de subdivisiones menores.In this work we intend to analyze some aspects about the learning and teaching of decimal numbers. First, we will refer to the analysis ofthe place value in decimal notations, pointing to some students’ initial conceptions about decimal numbers, as they show available knowledge and difficulties that will be been able to constitute starting points for a new learning. This study begins a first analysis about the meaning ofthe value ofthe figures in the different positions in this writings. Second, the treatment of the density at school is approached. We present procedures and students’ reflections about problems that try to challenge the way in which children conceive initially decimal numbers as subunits that arrive to a limit beyond which are indivisible. Those problems demand them on the other hand to think about smaller subdivisions.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación (FAHCE

The teaching ofthe decimals numbers: the analysis ofthe positional value and an approximation to the density

En este trabajo reflexionamos acerca de algunos aspectos vinculados al aprendizaje y a la enseñanza de los números decimales. En primer lugar, nos referimos al análisis del valor positional en las notaciones decimales en donde se intenta mostrar cómo se ponen en juego las concepciones iniciales de los alumnos sobre los números decimales y St da cuenta de los conocimientos disponibles y las dificultades que pueden constituirse en puntos de partida para nuevos aprendizajes. Luego iniciamos un primer análisis acerca del significado del valor de las cifras en las diferentes posiciones que tienen en la escritura. En segundo lugar, se aborda el tratamiento de la densidad. Se analizan los procedimientos y las reflexiones que llevan a cabo los alumnos, a propósito de problemas con los cuales se intenta descubrir el modo en que los niños conciben, inicialmente, a los decimales como subunidades que llegan a un límite más allá del cual resultan indivisibles, y se les exige, en cambio, pensar en la posibilidad de subdivisiones menores.In this work we intend to analyze some aspects about the learning and teaching of decimal numbers. First, we will refer to the analysis ofthe place value in decimal notations, pointing to some students’ initial conceptions about decimal numbers, as they show available knowledge and difficulties that will be been able to constitute starting points for a new learning. This study begins a first analysis about the meaning ofthe value ofthe figures in the different positions in this writings. Second, the treatment of the density at school is approached. We present procedures and students’ reflections about problems that try to challenge the way in which children conceive initially decimal numbers as subunits that arrive to a limit beyond which are indivisible. Those problems demand them on the other hand to think about smaller subdivisions.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación (FAHCE

miR-146a controls CXCR4 expression in a pathway that involves PLZF and can be used to inhibit HIV-1 infection of CD4+ T lymphocytes

Abstract MicroRNA miR-146a and PLZF are reported as major players in the control of hematopoiesis, immune function and cancer. PLZF is described as a miR-146a repressor, whereas CXCR4 and TRAF6 were identified as miR-146a direct targets in different cell types. CXCR4 is a co-receptor of CD4 molecule that facilitates HIV-1 entry into T lymphocytes and myeloid cells, whereas TRAF6 is involved in immune response. Thus, the role of miR-146a in HIV-1 infection is currently being thoroughly investigated. In this study, we found that PLZF mediates suppression of miR-146a to control increases of CXCR4 and TRAF6 protein levels in human primary CD4 + T lymphocytes. We show that miR-146a upregulation by AMD3100 treatment or PLZF silencing, decreases CXCR4 protein expression and prevents HIV-1 infection of leukemic monocytic cell line and CD4 + T lymphocytes. Our findings improve the prospects of developing new therapeutic strategies to prevent HIV-1 entry via CXCR4 by using the PLZF/miR-146a axis

Non-Intrusive In-Plane-Out-of-Plane Separated Representation in 3D Parametric Elastodynamics

Mesh-based solution of 3D models defined in plate or shell domains remains a challenging issue nowadays due to the fact that the needed meshes generally involve too many degrees of freedom. When the considered problem involves some parameters aiming at computing its parametric solution the difficulty is twofold. The authors proposed, in some of their former works, strategies for solving both, however they suffer from a deep intrusiveness. This paper proposes a totally novel approach that from any existing discretization is able to reduce the 3D parametric complexity to the one characteristic of a simple 2D calculation. Thus, the 3D complexity is reduced to 2D, the parameters included naturally into the solution, and the procedure applied on a discretization performed with a standard software, which taken together enable real-time engineering

Impact of remnant vital tissue after locoregional treatment and liver transplant in hepatocellular cancer patients. A multicentre cohort study

The role of pathological findings after locoregional treatments as predictors of hepatocellular cancer recurrence after liver transplantation has been poorly addressed. The aim of the study was to identify the role of remnant vital tissue (RVT) of the target lesion in predicting hepatocellular cancer recurrence. Two hundred and seventy-six patients firstly undergoing locoregional treatment and then transplanted between January 2010 and December 2015 in four European Transplant Centres (i.e. Rome Tor Vergata, Birmingham, Brussels and Ancona) were enrolled in the study to investigate the role of pathological response at upfront locoregional treatment. At multivariable Cox regression analysis, RVT ≥2 cm was a strong independent risk factor for post-LT recurrence (HR = 5.6; P < 0.0001). Five-year disease-free survival rates were 60.8%, 80.9% and 95.0% in patients presenting a RVT ≥2 cm vs. 0.1-1.9 vs. no RVT, respectively. When only Milan Criteria-IN patients were analysed, similar results were reported, with 5-year disease-free survival rates of 58.1%, 79.0% and 94.0% in patients presenting a RVT ≥2 cm vs. 0.1-1.9 vs. no RVT, respectively. RVT is an important determinant of tumour recurrence after liver transplantation performed for hepatocellular cancer. Its discriminative power looks to be evident also in a Milan-IN setting, suggesting to more liberally use locoregional treatments also in these patients

Validation of Two Commercial Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assays for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Stool Donors for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation

Recurrent infection by Clostridioides difficile has recently been treated by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). As viable SARS-CoV-2 was recovered from stool of asymptomatic individuals, the FMT procedure could be a potential risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, thus underlying the need to reliably detect SARS-CoV-2 in stool. Here, we performed a multicentric study to explore performances of two commercially available assays for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in stool of potential FMT donors. In three hospitals, 180 stool samples were spiked with serial 10-fold dilutions of a SARS-CoV-2 inactivated lysate to evaluate the Seegene Allplex ™ SARS-CoV-2 (SC2) and SARS-CoV- 2/FluA/FluB/RSV (SC2FABR) Assays for the detection of viral RNA in stool of FMT donors. The results revealed that both assays detected down to 2 TCID50/mL with comparable limit of detection values, SC2 showing more consistent target positivity rate than SC2FABR. Beyond high amplification efficiency, correlation between CT values and log concentrations of inactivated viral lysates showed R2 values ranging from 0.88 to 0.90 and from 0.87 to 0.91 for the SC2 and SC2FABR assay, respectively. The present results demonstrate that both methods are highly reproducible, sensitive, and accurate for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in stool, suggesting a potential use in FMT-donor screening

Simulations and measurements of beam loss patterns at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

The CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is designed to collide proton beams of unprecedented energy, in order to extend the frontiers of high-energy particle physics. During the first very successful running period in 2010-2013, the LHC was routinely storing protons at 3.5-4 TeV with a total beam energy of up to 146 MJ, and even higher stored energies are foreseen in the future. This puts extraordinary demands on the control of beam losses. An uncontrolled loss of even a tiny fraction of the beam could cause a superconducting magnet to undergo a transition into a normal-conducting state, or in the worst case cause material damage. Hence a multistage collimation system has been installed in order to safely intercept high-amplitude beam protons before they are lost elsewhere. To guarantee adequate protection from the collimators, a detailed theoretical understanding is needed. This article presents results of numerical simulations of the distribution of beam losses around the LHC that have leaked out of the collimation system. The studies include tracking of protons through the fields of more than 5000 magnets in the 27 km LHC ring over hundreds of revolutions, and Monte Carlo simulations of particle-matter interactions both in collimators and machine elements being hit by escaping particles. The simulation results agree typically within a factor 2 with measurements of beam loss distributions from the previous LHC run. Considering the complex simulation, which must account for a very large number of unknown imperfections, and in view of the total losses around the ring spanning over 7 orders of magnitude, we consider this an excellent agreement. Our results give confidence in the simulation tools, which are used also for the design of future accelerators.peer-reviewe

Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies 48 risk variants and highlights the role of the stria vascularis in hearing loss

Hearing loss is one of the top contributors to years lived with disability and is a risk factor for dementia. Molecular evidence on the cellular origins of hearing loss in humans is growing. Here, we performed a genome-wide association meta-analysis of clinically diagnosed and self-reported hearing impairment on 723,266 individuals and identified 48 significant loci, 10 of which are novel. A large proportion of associations comprised missense variants, half of which lie within known familial hearing loss loci. We used single-cell RNA-sequencing data from mouse cochlea and brain and mapped common-variant genomic results to spindle, root, and basal cells from the stria vascularis, a structure in the cochlea necessary for normal hearing. Our findings indicate the importance of the stria vascularis in the mechanism of hearing impairment, providing future paths for developing targets for therapeutic intervention in hearing loss