Celia López Alcalde, Josep Puig Montada, Pedro Roche Arnas † (eds.), Legitimation of Political Power in Medieval Thought. Acts of the XIX Annual Colloquium of the Société Internationale pour l’Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale, Alcalá 18-20 September 2013

The volume collects the essays profoundly debated at XIX Annual Colloquium of the International Society for the Study of Medieval Philosophy, organized by the «Société Internationale pour l’Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale», SIEPM, the «Sociedad de Filosofía Medieval», SOFIME, and the University of Alcalá, which took place in Alcalá de Henares in 2013, one of the philosophically liveliest medieval center. The Colloquium was sponsored and funded also by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture, Ra-mon Areces Foundation, Complutense University of Madrid, Center for Political and Constitutional Studies (Madrid), and Society for Medieval Philosophy (Zaragoza)

Neurophysiological Responses to Different Product Experiences

It is well known that the evaluation of a product from the shelf considers the simultaneous cerebral and emotional evaluation of the different qualities of the product such as its colour, the eventual images shown, and the envelope’s texture (hereafter all included in the term “product experience”). However, the measurement of cerebral and emotional reactions during the interaction with food products has not been investigated in depth in specialized literature. (e aim of this paper was to investigate such reactions by the EEG and the autonomic activities, as elicited by the cross-sensory interaction (sight and touch) across several different products. In addition, we investigated whether (i) the brand (Major Brand or Private Label), (ii) the familiarity (Foreign or Local Brand), and (iii) the hedonic value of products (Comfort Food or Daily Food) influenced the reaction of a group of volunteers during their interaction with the products. Results showed statistically significantly higher tendency of cerebral approach (as indexed by EEG frontal alpha asymmetry) in response to comfort food during the visual exploration and the visual and tactile exploration phases. Furthermore, for the same index, a higher tendency of approach has been found toward foreign food products in comparison with local food products during the visual and tactile exploration phase. Finally, the same comparison performed on a different index (EEG frontal theta) showed higher mental effort during the interaction with foreign products during the visual exploration and the visual and tactile exploration phases. Results from the present study could deepen the knowledge on the neurophysiological response to food products characterized by different nature in terms of hedonic value familiarity; moreover, they could have implications for food marketers and finally lead to further study on how people make food choices through the interactions with their commercial envelope

Neurophysiological characterization of normal hearing and unilateral hearing loss children: a comparison among EEG-based indices for information processing and decision-making levels.

The identification of measurable indices of cerebral functions to be applied in clinical settings is ever more felt as necessary for a more thorough and objective evaluation of patients cognitive performance. In the present paper, the electroencephalographic-based indices of mental workload (WL = frontal θ/parietal α) and of mental engagement (ME = β/(α+θ)), calculated along the brain midline, have been employed to characterize the eventual specific patterns of cerebral activations during a speech in noise perception task in normal hearing (NH) and unilateral hearing loss (UHL) children. Results showed no differences between the groups for the frontal bilateral noise condition (in which both signal and noise were emitted by two loudspeakers placed +45° and -45° in relation to the participant), while in lateralized noise conditions the UHL group showed higher parietal ME values for the Noise to the Deaf Ear condition). Finally, the NH group showed a different distribution of ME values among frontal, central and parietal electrodes, with higher ME values in the central and parietal ones in correspondence of the Noise to the Left Ear condition. The WL index analysis did not provide any significant differences. Results suggest the relevance of including the analysis of the beta rhythm in the neurophysiological assessment of the neural processing of speech in noise stimuli in normal hearing and hearing impaired participants

Bactericidal Activity of Silver-Doped Chitosan Coatings via Electrophoretic Deposition on Ti6Al4V Additively Manufactured Substrates

Prosthetic reconstruction can serve as a feasible alternative, delivering both functional and aesthetic benefits to individuals with hand and finger injuries, frequent causes of emergency room visits. Implant-related infections pose significant challenges in arthroplasty and osteosynthesis procedures, contributing to surgical failures. As a potential solution to this challenge, this study developed a new class of silver (Ag)-doped chitosan (CS) coatings via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on osseointegrated prostheses for infection therapy. These coatings were successfully applied to additively manufactured Ti6Al4V ELI samples. In the initial phase, the feasibility of the composite coating was assessed using the Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) techniques. The optimized structures exhibited impressive water uptake in the range of 300-360%. Codeposition with an antibacterial agent proved effective, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the coating morphology. Biologically, CS coatings demonstrated cytocompatibility when in direct contact with a fibroblast cell line (L929) after 72 h. When exposed to the Staphylococcus epidermidis strain (ATCC 12228), these coatings inhibited bacterial growth and biofilm formation within 24 h. These findings underscore the significant potential of this approach for various applications, including endoprostheses like hip implants, internal medical devices, and transcutaneous prostheses such as osseointegrated limb prosthetics for upper and lower extremities

Neurophysiological assessment of an innovative maritime safety system in terms of ship operators' mental workload, stress, and attention in the full mission bridge simulator

The current industrial environment relies heavily on maritime transportation. Despite the continuous technological advances for the development of innovative safety software and hardware systems, there is a consistent gap in the scientific literature regarding the objective evaluation of the performance of maritime operators. The human factor is profoundly affected by changes in human performance or psychological state. The difficulty lies in the fact that the technology, tools, and protocols for investigating human performance are not fully mature or suitable for experimental investigation. The present research aims to integrate these two concepts by (i) objectively characterizing the psychological state of mariners, i.e., mental workload, stress, and attention, through their electroencephalographic (EEG) signal analysis, and (ii) validating an innovative safety framework countermeasure, defined as Human Risk-Informed Design (HURID), through the aforementioned neurophysiological approach. The proposed study involved 26 mariners within a high-fidelity bridge simulator while encountering collision risk in congested waters with and without the HURID. Subjective, behavioral, and neurophysiological data, i.e., EEG, were collected throughout the experimental activities. The results showed that the participants experienced a statistically significant higher mental workload and stress while performing the maritime activities without the HURID, while their attention level was statistically lower compared to the condition in which they performed the experiments with the HURID (all p < 0.05). Therefore, the presented study confirmed the effectiveness of the HURID during maritime operations in critical scenarios and led the way to extend the neurophysiological evaluation of the HFs of maritime operators during the performance of critical and/or standard shipboard tasks

Serum Albumin Is Inversely Associated With Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis

We analyzed whether serum albumin is independently associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in liver cirrhosis (LC) and if a biologic plausibility exists. This study was divided into three parts. In part 1 (retrospective analysis), 753 consecutive patients with LC with ultrasound-detected PVT were retrospectively analyzed. In part 2, 112 patients with LC and 56 matched controls were entered in the cross-sectional study. In part 3, 5 patients with cirrhosis were entered in the in vivo study and 4 healthy subjects (HSs) were entered in the in vitro study to explore if albumin may affect platelet activation by modulating oxidative stress. In the 753 patients with LC, the prevalence of PVT was 16.7%; logistic analysis showed that only age (odds ratio [OR], 1.024; P = 0.012) and serum albumin (OR, -0.422; P = 0.0001) significantly predicted patients with PVT. Analyzing the 112 patients with LC and controls, soluble clusters of differentiation (CD)40-ligand (P = 0.0238), soluble Nox2-derived peptide (sNox2-dp; P &lt; 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (P = 0.0078) were higher in patients with LC. In LC, albumin was correlated with sCD4OL (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [r(s)], -0.33; P &lt; 0.001), sNox2-dp (r(s), -0.57; P &lt; 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (r(s), -0.48; P &lt; 0.0001) levels. The in vivo study showed a progressive decrease in platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and urinary 8-iso prostaglandin F2 alpha-III formation 2 hours and 3 days after albumin infusion. Finally, platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and isoprostane formation significantly decreased in platelets from HSs incubated with scalar concentrations of albumin. Conclusion: Low serum albumin in LC is associated with PVT, suggesting that albumin could be a modulator of the hemostatic system through interference with mechanisms regulating platelet activation

Celia López Alcalde, Josep Puig Montada, Pedro Roche Arnas † (eds.), Legitimation of Political Power in Medieval Thought. Acts of the XIX Annual Colloquium of the Société Internationale pour l’Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale, Alcalá, 18-20 September 2013, Turnhout, Brepols, 2018,XII+456 pp. ISBN: 9782503580180. Cloth: €70

The volume collects the essays profoundly debated at XIX Annual Colloquium of the International Society for the Study of Medieval Philosophy, organized by the «Société Internationale pour l’Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale», SIEPM, the «Sociedad de Filosofía Medieval», SOFIME, and the University of Alcalá, which took place in Alcalá de Henares in 2013, one of the philosophically liveliest medieval center. The Colloquium was sponsored and funded also by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture, Ra-mon Areces Foundation, Complutense University of Madrid, Center for Political and Constitutional Studies (Madrid), and Society for Medieval Philosophy (Zaragoza)

Caratteri a confronto. Nussbaum e Williams tra virtù, giudizio pratico e riflessi politici

In this paper I aim to explore the points of contact and divergence between two authors who have extensively reflected on the extent of an ethical “feeling” that would call the agent to a more precise awareness of the role of the emotional motions underlying decisions and character formation. In what makes an agent, in short, a person. In this sense, I intend to compare the normative and procedural significance of character and emotions in moral evaluation by comparing the theses of Martha Nussbaum and Bernard Williams. A relationship between the two positions will be highlighted in order to support, on these results, a normative justification of the use of moral inclinations as means of justice promoted by political communities

Petrographic and mineral-glass chemical dataset of igneous rock clasts from Early Oligocene Aveto-Petrignacola Formation (Northern Italy)

This dataset article contains petrographic and mineral-glass chemical data of igneous rock clasts from Early Oligocene Aveto-Petrignacola Formation (APF; Northern Italy). Meth- ods for obtaining the dataset include optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanal- ysis. The APF volcanic rocks are basalts, basaltic andesites, andesites, dacites and rhyolites. Rare gabbroic cumulate nodules complete the dataset. Basalts are porphyritic, with calcic plagioclase (An 72–92 Ab 7–27 Or 0–1 ), ferroan enstatite (En 59–68 Fs 29–37 Wo 3–4 ) and augite (En 38–39 Fs 18–20 Wo 41–44 ) phenocrysts, in a hypocrystalline groundmass made up of bytownite (An 71–85 Ab 14–28 Or 1 ), augite (En 37–38 Fs 19 Wo 43–44 ), ferroan enstatite (En 62–68 Fs 30–35 Wo 1–4 ) and rare pigeonite (En 46–50 Fs 37–42 Wo 7–17 ). The basaltic andesites are porphyritic to glomeroporphyritic with phenocrysts of zoned plagio- clase (An 44–67 Ab 32–55 Or 1 ), orthopyroxene, Mg-rich augite (En 38–42 Fs 15–17 Wo 43–45 ), rare pargasite to edenite amphibole (Mg# 69–59) and very rare biotite in a hypocrystalline to holohyaline groundmass. Andesites are highly porphyritic with phenocrysts of plagioclase (An 47–79 Ab 20–52 Or 0–1 ), pargasite to magnesio-hornblende (Mg# 72–67), Mg-rich augite (En 43–46 Fs 12–17 Wo 41–43 ), subordinate ferroan enstatite (En 68–74 Fs 23–29 Wo 3–4 ), biotite (Mg# 53) and Ti-magnetite (Usp 29–41 ). Dacites (massive lavas and ignimbrites) are porphyritic, with phenocrysts and phenoclasts of plagioclase (An 33–79 Ab 20–62 Or 0–4 ), calcic amphibole (Ti-pargasite, Mg-hornblende and edenite; Mg# 81–46), biotite (Mg#67–56), very rare Mg-rich augite (En 41–42 Fs 16–18 Wo 40–43 ) and resorbed quartz in hypohyaline to holohyaline groundmass with a dense mat of anhedral quartz, labradorite-andesine (An 36–66 Ab 33–61 Or 1–4 ) and rare anorthoclase (An 22 Ab 66 Or 12 ). Rhyolitic compositions have been found both as volcanic clasts (massive lava and ignimbrites) with andesine to oligoclase phenoclasts (An 25–38 Ab 61–71 Or 1–4 ), quartz, biotite (Mg# 55–53) and Ti-magnetite (Usp 18–77 ), and as interstitial glasses (residual melt drops) in other APF volcanic rocks. The cumulate nodules are olivine-gabbro and amphibolegabbro/gabbronorite with a mineral paragenesis dominatedby plagioclase (An 41–73 Ab 26–57 Or 1–3 ), olivine (Fo 68–72 ), Mg rich augite to ferroan diopside (En 41–45 Fs 12–15 Wo 42–45 ; Mg#79–74), ferroan enstatite (En 65–74 Fs 24–33 Wo 2–3 ; Mg# 76–68), magnetite (Usp 15–28 ) and titanian pargasite (Mg# 67–65). The main cumulus phases are plagioclase, olivine and pyroxene, while intercumulus/postcumulus phases are titanian pargasite and magnetite. The dataset can be used to compare petrographic features and chemical compositions of calcalkaline rocks emplaced in other subduction-related settings. Above all, it can represent a useful contribution in solving the problem linked to the identification of a hidden Early-Oligocene source of the thick volcaniclastic APF succession in the Alpine-Apennine belt geodynamic evolution

Validation of an EEG-based neurometric for online monitoring and detection of mental drowsiness while driving

The driving drowsiness has been identified as one of the major causes of road traffic accidents, causing fatalities and permanent injuring. Drowsy drivers are prone to suddenly lose control of the car, mostly without any prior behavioral cue. The present study involved 19 participants in a simulated driving protocol, designed to induce mental drowsiness into the drivers. The objective of the study consisted in testing an innovative Electroencephalographic (EEG)-based index, the MDrow index, in detecting the driving drowsiness. Such an index, derived from parietal EEG channels, was already validated in our previous work achieving outstanding performance with respect to more conventional techniques. In this study, the possibility of obtaining a similar index from the frontal sites in order to foster its exploitation in real environments has been investigated. The results demonstrated the capability of the "frontal" MDrow index in evaluating the driving drowsiness experienced by the participants with performance comparable to that one previously validated over parietal sites. Also, the impact of the reduction of the electrodes number on index reliability has been investigated, in order to evaluate its compatibility with current wearable EEG devices