Domanda potenziale e rischio traffico/introiti nel Project Financing di un’infrastruttura viaria a pedaggio

Il Project Financing di un’infrastruttura viaria a pedaggio pone come elemento centrale di valutazione della convenienza e finanziabilità dell’opera la capacità di generare, come introiti da pedaggio, i flussi di cassa che costituiscono la garanzia primaria per i finanziatori privati. L’articolo pone in evidenza la centralità della previsione della domanda di traffico e degli introiti attesi sull'infrastruttura, esplorando gli strumenti e le tecniche modellistiche che consentono di stimarne i valori potenziali e, sulla base di questi, di formulare la decisione di investimento. La discussione chiarisce, tuttavia, come i tradizionali modelli di previsione della domanda potenziale di traffico siano inevitabilmente affetti da quote non eliminabili d’incertezza, legati essenzialmente alla variabilità degli input. Tutto ciò si traduce in elementi non trascurabili di rischio, che mal si coniugano con gli obiettivi di convenienza e redditività che l’investitore si pone nei confronti del progetto. L’articolo propone all’attenzione del lettore un approccio quantitativo all’analisi di rischio che consente di definire statisticamente, ossia individuandone la distribuzione di probabilità, la domanda e gli introiti potenziali, superando la percezione deterministica delle valutazioni, e riportandole nel contesto probabilistico che più propriamente la descrive. La discussione elaborata chiarisce l’operatività di questo approccio e ne evidenzia l’utilità nella valutazione della sostenibilità dell’iniziativa e nella formulazione della scelte di investimento. Essa risulta, altresì, utile a comprendere l’importanza di tale approccio, in termini di oggettivazione e trasparenza, nella strutturazione dei rapporti reciproci e nella definizione delle relative garanzie tra i soggetti pubblici e privati che intervengono

Modulation of the oscillatory mechanics of lung tissue and the oxidative stress response induced by arginase inhibition in a chronic allergic inflammation model

Abstract\ud \ud \ud \ud Background\ud The importance of the lung parenchyma in the pathophysiology of asthma has previously been demonstrated. Considering that nitric oxide synthases (NOS) and arginases compete for the same substrate, it is worthwhile to elucidate the effects of complex NOS-arginase dysfunction in the pathophysiology of asthma, particularly, related to distal lung tissue. We evaluated the effects of arginase and iNOS inhibition on distal lung mechanics and oxidative stress pathway activation in a model of chronic pulmonary allergic inflammation in guinea pigs.\ud \ud \ud \ud Methods\ud Guinea pigs were exposed to repeated ovalbumin inhalations (twice a week for 4 weeks). The animals received 1400 W (an iNOS-specific inhibitor) for 4 days beginning at the last inhalation. Afterwards, the animals were anesthetized and exsanguinated; then, a slice of the distal lung was evaluated by oscillatory mechanics, and an arginase inhibitor (nor-NOHA) or vehicle was infused in a Krebs solution bath. Tissue resistance (Rt) and elastance (Et) were assessed before and after ovalbumin challenge (0.1%), and lung strips were submitted to histopathological studies.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud Ovalbumin-exposed animals presented an increase in the maximal Rt and Et responses after antigen challenge (p<0.001), in the number of iNOS positive cells (p<0.001) and in the expression of arginase 2, 8-isoprostane and NF-kB (p<0.001) in distal lung tissue. The 1400 W administration reduced all these responses (p<0.001) in alveolar septa. Ovalbumin-exposed animals that received nor-NOHA had a reduction of Rt, Et after antigen challenge, iNOS positive cells and 8-isoprostane and NF-kB (p<0.001) in lung tissue. The activity of arginase 2 was reduced only in the groups treated with nor-NOHA (p <0.05). There was a reduction of 8-isoprostane expression in OVA-NOR-W compared to OVA-NOR (p<0.001).\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud In this experimental model, increased arginase content and iNOS-positive cells were associated with the constriction of distal lung parenchyma. This functional alteration may be due to a high expression of 8-isoprostane, which had a procontractile effect. The mechanism involved in this response is likely related to the modulation of NF-kB expression, which contributed to the activation of the arginase and iNOS pathways. The association of both inhibitors potentiated the reduction of 8-isoprostane expression in this animal model.FAPESP and LIM20HCFMUSP.FAPESP and LIM-20-HC-FMUSP

Recovery of dialysis patients with COVID-19 : health outcomes 3 months after diagnosis in ERACODA

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related short-term mortality is high in dialysis patients, but longer-term outcomes are largely unknown. We therefore assessed patient recovery in a large cohort of dialysis patients 3 months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. We analyzed data on dialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 1 February 2020 to 31 March 2021 from the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA). The outcomes studied were patient survival, residence and functional and mental health status (estimated by their treating physician) 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. Complete follow-up data were available for 854 surviving patients. Patient characteristics associated with recovery were analyzed using logistic regression. Results. In 2449 hemodialysis patients (mean ± SD age 67.5 ± 14.4 years, 62% male), survival probabilities at 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis were 90% for nonhospitalized patients (n = 1087), 73% for patients admitted to the hospital but not to an intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 1165) and 40% for those admitted to an ICU (n = 197). Patient survival hardly decreased between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. At 3 months, 87% functioned at their pre-existent functional and 94% at their pre-existent mental level. Only few of the surviving patients were still admitted to the hospital (0.8-6.3%) or a nursing home (∼5%). A higher age and frailty score at presentation and ICU admission were associated with worse functional outcome. Conclusions. Mortality between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis was low and the majority of patients who survived COVID-19 recovered to their pre-existent functional and mental health level at 3 months after diagnosis

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Modélisation 3-D d'amas polycristallins et méthodologie d'analyse de leurs images microscopiques

ROS

Cartelami di Liguria

Negli ultimi dieci anni, sono stati rintracciati numerosi decori, o apparati effimeri, della Settimana Santa nel territorio dell’antico Dominio di Genova, che corrisponde grosso modo all’attuale regione italiana della Liguria, più la Corsica, che - lo ricordiamo - fu genovese fino al 1768. Si tratta, quasi esclusivamente, di apparati allestiti - tra il diciottesimo e l’inizio del ventesimo secolo - per i cosiddetti «sepolcri» pasquali e (meno frequentemente) come scenario per l’adorazione euc..

Conceptual Aspects and Considerations for the Risk Analysis of Complex Structural Systems such as Long Suspension Bridges.

ICOSSAR 2005, G. Augusti, G.I. Schuëller, M. Ciampoli (eds

2D-CELL: image processing software for extraction and analysis of 2-dimensional cellular structures

2D-CELL is a software package for the processing and analyzing of photographic images of cellular structures in a largely interactive way. Starting from a binary digitized image, the programs extract the line network (skeleton) of the structure and determine the graph representation that best models it. Provision is made for manually correcting defects such as incorrect node positions or dangling bonds. Then a suitable algorithm retrieves polygonal contours which define individual cells — local boundary curvatures are neglected for simplicity. Using elementary analytical geometry relations, a range of metric and topological parameters describing the population are then computed, organized into statistical distributions and graphically displayed