Posterior cortical atrophy and Alzheimer’s disease : a meta-analytic review of neuropsychological and brain morphometry studies

This paper presents the first systematic review and meta-analysis of neuropsychological and brain morphometry studies comparing posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) to typical Alzheimer's disease (tAD). Literature searches were conducted for brain morphometry and neuropsychological studies including a PCA and a tAD group. Compared to healthy controls (HC), PCA patients exhibited significant decreases in temporal, occipital and parietal gray matter (GM) volumes, whereas tAD patients showed extensive left temporal atrophy. Compared to tAD patients, participants with PCA showed greater GM volume reduction in the right occipital gyrus extending to the posterior lobule. In addition, PCA patients showed less GM volume loss in the left parahippocampal gyrus and left hippocampus than tAD patients. PCA patients exhibit significantly greater impairment in Immediate Visuospatial Memory as well as Visuoperceptual and Visuospatial Abilities than patients with tAD. However, tAD patients showed greater impairment in Delayed Auditory/Verbal Memory than patients with PCA. PCA is characterized by significant atrophy of the occipital and parietal regions and severe impairments in visuospatial functioning.JA is funded by a doctoral grant from the Foundation for Science and Technology, FCT (SFRH/BD/64457/2009, co-funded by FSE/POPH). JA and AS are funded by project PIC/IC/83290/2007, which is supported by FEDER (POFC-COMPETE) and FCT. JMS is supported by a fellowship of the project SwitchBox-FP7-HEALTH-2010-grant 259772-2. These organizations had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or in the decision to submit the paper for publication

Sistema migliorato di alimentazione elettrica per tunnel, in particolare tunnel stradali

L'invenzione si prefigge lo scopo di fornire un sistema di alimentazione elettrica di tunnel migliorato, che offra una accresciuta affidabilit\ue0 operativa in tutte le condizioni di esercizio normale e di emergenza, unitamente a costi di esercizio contenuti. Essa si fonda su una nuova concezione di sistema di generazione energetica, e prevede l'impiego di un gruppo elettrogeno, ed in una forma di realizzazione preferita di un sistema di cogenerazione comprendente un motore termico ed un sistema di recupero del calore, costantemente in funzione e di un sistema di distribuzione dell'energia operativamente collegato a due sorgenti di energia (la rete di alimentazione pubblica ed un gruppo elettrogeno di emergenza) atto ad alimentare le utenze elettriche (o carichi) del tunnel e fornire l'energia in eccesso ad una o pi\uf9 reti di distribuzione estranee al tunnel, tra cui la stessa rete pubblica ed una o pi\uf9 infrastrutture private di distribuzione dell'energia in un'area geografica prossima al tunnel. Il sistema \ue8 inoltre in grado di misurare la quantit\ue0 di energia prodotta e convogliata ad utenze estranee al tunnel, e di contabilizzare tale quantit\ue0, sostituendosi od affiancandosi a tutti gli effetti ad un ente fornitore pubblico nella vendita di energia a terzi. Vantaggiosamente, il sistema di alimentazione di tunnel oggetto dell'invenzione consente la produzione e vendita di elettricit\ue0, ed eventualmente calore, durante il normale funzionamento della rete di fornitura pubblica e, nel caso di interruzione di potenza dalla rete, assume il ruolo di generatore di emergenza, superando l'inconveniente dell'immobilizzazione di costi per la predisposizione e la conduzione di un sistema propriamente di emergenza secondo la tecnica nota, a beneficio del gestore del tunnel

An improved electrical power supply system for tunnels, particularly for road tunnels

The purpose of the invention is to provide an improved system for the power supply in a tunnel, which offers an increased operative reliability in all normal and emergency conditions, as well as having low operating costs

‘That right level of intoxication’: A Grounded Theory study on young adults’ drinking in nightlife settings

The present study examined the meaning and functions of drinking across different nightlife settings (e.g., bars, dance clubs) in a sample of Italian young adults. A Grounded Theory recursive and iterative process of data collection, through 10 focus group interviews, and data analysis revealed the complex and dynamic nature of young people’s experience of drinking in nightlife settings. Results indicated that three major categories of social nightlife settings associated with different meanings and uses of alcohol: a more moderate social drinking in bars, a pursuit of a desired level of intoxication in dancing settings, like nightclubs, with festivities and celebratory settings most associated with alcohol abuse and heavy drunkenness as a mean to maximize the celebration and the uniqueness of the event. The core category emerging was related to the collective social process of youngsters optimizing alcohol intake throughout the night to find and maintain a desired level of intoxication (‘just the right buzz’) in dancing settings, to reach a controlled disinhibition to get what they consider positive outcomes minimizing negative ones. Results can be informative for other cultural regions too where differences in the drinking experience across nightlife settings have not been fully addressed yet