The Alarm Clock Against the Sun: Trends in Google Trends Search Activity Across the Transitions to and from Daylight Saving Time

The human circadian timing system depends on the light/dark cycle as its main cue to synchronize with the environment, and thus with solar time. However, human activities depend also on social time, i.e. the set of time conventions and restrictions dictated by society, including Daylight Saving Time (DST), which adds an hour to any degree of desynchrony between social and solar time. Here, we used Google Trends as a data source to analyze diurnal variation, if any, and the daily peak in the relative search volume of 26 Google search queries in relation to the transitions to/from DST in Italy from 2015 to 2020. Our search queries of interest fell into three categories: sleep/health-related, medication and random non sleep/health-related. After initial rhythm and phase analysis, 11 words were selected to compare the average phase of the 15 days before and after the transition to/from DST. We observed an average phase advance after the transition to DST, and a phase delay after the transition to civil time, ranging from 25 to 60 minutes. Advances or delays shorter than 60 minutes, which were primarily observed in the sleep/ health-related category, may suggest that search timing for these queries is at least partially driven by the endogenous circadian rhythm. Finally, a significant trend in phase anticipation over the years was observed for virtually all words. This is most likely related to an increase in age, and thus in earlier chronotypes, amongst Google users

A corotational based geometrically nonlinear Generalized Beam Theory: buckling FE analysis

A geometrically nonlinear Generalized Beam Theory is formulated and the results in the framework of buckling analyses are discussed. The geometrically nonlinear model is recovered reusing the model available in the linear context. This generalization to the nonlinear context is obtained exploiting the corotational based method called Implicit Corotational Method, starting from a mixed energy description of the continuum in terms of nonlinear Biot stress/strain tensors and using convenient assumptions for the linear stress/strain tensors. Once obtained, the nonlinear model has been implemented using a flexibility based finite element. The results of buckling analyses for different and complex beam cross-section geometries, emphasizing distortional and local buckling behaviors, are presented and comparisons with finite element shell models made

GBT post-buckling analysis based on the Implicit Corotational Method

In this work, the post-buckling analysis of thin-walled beams by using the Generalized Beam Theory (GBT) is presented. To this purpose, a geometrically nonlinear GBT finite element is developed by exploiting the features of mixed-stress GBT finite element formulation in the framework of the Implicit Corotational Method (ICM). The application of the ICM to GBT is briefly discussed and the details necessary to successfully transform the linear GBT finite element in its nonlinear counterpart are illustrated. The numerical results show how the proposed finite element can deal with global and distortional geometrically nonlinear phenomena, in good accordance with respect to 3D shell models

Differences between ethnic minority and native children in breakfast habits.

Aim of this study was to investigate the breakfast habits in a cohort of school ethnic minority (EM) children admitted to a summer sport school (SSS) in order to evaluate the possible differences with their Italian peers (IP). One hundred-seventy-nine children aged 6-14 years were interviewed through a questionnaire about breakfast behaviors and nutrition habits. The results were compared with those obtained in a randomized sample of 179 Italian peers (IP) attending the same SSS. EM children skip breakfast more frequently than IP (15% vs 7%; p=0.029). The omissions are attributed to the lack of time (45% vs5 4%) and not being hungry upon waking (44% vs 38%). During weekends the percentage of breakfast skippers decreased of about 3 percentage points but persisted a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.024). EM children who did not have breakfast show a mean BMI higher than breakfast consumers (p=0.05). Bakery products and milk were the most frequently consumed food and drink in EM and IP children (68% vs 70% and 71% vs 76% respectively). EM children chose and prepared personally breakfast at home more frequently than IP (54% vs 22%). These EM children were more inclined to skip breakfast (p=0.025) and to have an elevated BMI (p=0.006) than IP. An educational program, for ethnic minority families, in different languages and according to their cultural, religious and socio-economic influences could be a possible means for changing their lifestyle and reducing their risk to become overweight. (www.actabiomedica.it). © Mattioli 1885

Cultura locale dello sviluppo nell’area Costa del Vesuvio.

Il lavoro descrive i risultati di una ricerca-azione piuttosto ampia che ha visto il coinvolgimento di studenti, docenti, amministratori pubblici, imprenditori, sindacalisti e associazioni datoriali. Con essa si è avviata una conoscenza della cultura locale di sviluppo (rilevata attraverso un'analisi delle parole chiave usate dagli intervistati) e sulla quale si è intervenuto (attraverso una serie di incontri con i soggetti intervistati) con l'ambizione di sostenerne gli indicatori di sviluppo

Kidney Function According to Different Equations in Patients Admitted to a Cardiology Unit and Impact on Outcome

Background: This paper aims to evaluate the concordance between the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD‐EPI) formula and alternative equations and to assess their predictive power for all‐cause mortality in unselected patients discharged alive from a cardiology ward. Methods: We retrospectively included patients admitted to our Cardiology Division independently of their diagnosis. The total population was classified according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) categories, as follows: G1 (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 90 mL/min/1.73 m2); G2 (eGFR 89–60 mL/min/1.73 m2); G3a (eGFR 59–45 mL/min/1.73 m2); G3b (eGFR 44–30 mL/min/1.73 m2); G4 (eGFR 29–15 mL/min/1.73 m2); G5 (eGFR < 15 mL/min/1.73 m2). Cockcroft‐Gault (CG), CG adjusted for body surface area (CG‐BSA), Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), Berlin Initiative Study (BIS‐1), and Full Age Spectrum (FAS) equations were also assessed. Results: A total of 806 patients were included. Good agreement was found between the CKD‐EPI formula and CG‐BSA, MDRD, BIS‐1, and FAS equations. In subjects younger than 65 years or aged ≥85 years, CKD‐EPI and MDRD showed the highest agreement (Cohen’s kappa (K) 0.881 and 0.588, respectively) while CG showed the lowest. After a median follow‐up of 407 days, overall mortality was 8.2%. The risk of death was higher in lower eGFR classes (G3b HR4.35; 95%CI 1.05–17.80; G4 HR7.13; 95%CI 1.63–31.23; G5 HR25.91; 95%CI 6.63–101.21). The discriminant capability of death prediction tested with ROC curves showed the best results for BIS‐1 and FAS equations. Conclusion: In our cohort, the concordance between CKD‐EPI and other equations decreased with age, with the MDRD formula showing the best agreement in both younger and older patients. Overall, mortality rates increased with the renal function decreasing. In patients aged ≥75 years, the best discriminant capability for death prediction was found for BIS‐1 and FAS equations

Fixing the business of food : Aligning food company practices with the SDGs

The 2021 Fixing the Business of Food report provides an update on the food and agribusiness sector’s alignment with the SDGs, as well as offering guidelines to help companies accomplish the change of direction needed to address this challenge.Fixing the Business of Food recommends that companies test their strategies and activities across four key areas: beneficial products and strategies, sustainable business operations and internal processes, sustainable supply and value chains, and good corporate citizenship.The report introduces this 4-pillar Framework and a set of 21 corresponding standards to lead the change towards more sustainable food systems. The report outlines the results of some empirical studies conducted to analyze the alignment of food companies with the SDGs through the framework