Measuring the Public value of e-Government: The eGEP2.0 model

After having briefly introduced the issue of measuring e-Government vis-\ue0-vis its impact evaluation, the paper provides an overview of the state of the art with regard to measurement of e-Government, addressing the debate on the relationship between 'public value' creation and e-Government, outlining some of the approaches advanced to measure the public value of ICT interventions in the public sector. In light of this discussion, the paper then proposes the eGEP-2.0 model which, building on its predecessor eGEP, overcome many of the limitations of existing frameworks, and more importantly pave the way for an effective impact assessment of e-Government initiatives, in relation to the policy-making process and related governance needed for their design and implementation. The results of the application of the eGEP-2.0 model on the Telematics and Informatics Plan (PiTER) of the Emilia Romagna Region in Italy are then presented and discussed. The paper concludes providing some reflections on the experience and outlining future research challenges

Independent, additive and interactive effects of acute normobaric hypoxia and cold on submaximal and maximal endurance exercise

Purpose: To evaluate the independent and combined effects of hypoxia (FiO2 = 13.5%) and cold (- 20 °C) on physiological and perceptual responses to endurance exercise. Methods: 14 trained male subjects ([Formula: see text]O2max: 64 ± 5 mL/kg/min) randomly performed a discontinuous maximal incremental test to exhaustion on a motorized treadmill under four environmental conditions: Normothermic-Normoxia (N), Normothermic-Hypoxia (H), Cold-Normoxia (C) and Cold-Hypoxia (CH). Performance and physiological and perceptual responses throughout exercise were evaluated. Results: Maximal WorkLoad (WL) and WL at lactate threshold (LT) were reduced in C (- 2.3% and - 3.5%) and H (- 18.0% and - 21.7%) compared to N, with no interactive (p = 0.25 and 0.81) but additive effect in CH (- 21.5% and - 24.6%). Similarly, HRmax and Vemax were reduced in C (- 3.2% and - 14.6%) and H (- 5.0% and - 7%), showing additive effects in CH (- 7.7% and - 16.6%). At LT, additive effect of C (- 2.8%) and H (- 3.8%) on HR reduction in CH (- 5.7%) was maintained, whereas an interactive effect (p = 0.007) of the two stressors combined was noted on Ve (C: - 3.1%, H: + 5.5%, CH: - 10.9%). [La] curve shifted on the left in CH, displaying an interaction effect between the 2 stressors on this parameter. Finally, RPE at LT was exclusively reduced by hypoxia (p < 0.001), whereas TSmax is synergistically reduced by cold and hypoxia (interaction p = 0.047). Conclusion: If compared to single stress exposure, exercise performance and physiological and perceptual variables undergo additive or synergistic effects when cold and hypoxia are combined. These results provide new insight into human physiological responses to extreme environments

You can't see what you can't see: Experimental evidence for how much relevant information may be missed due to Google's Web search personalisation

The influence of Web search personalisation on professional knowledge work is an understudied area. Here we investigate how public sector officials self-assess their dependency on the Google Web search engine, whether they are aware of the potential impact of algorithmic biases on their ability to retrieve all relevant information, and how much relevant information may actually be missed due to Web search personalisation. We find that the majority of participants in our experimental study are neither aware that there is a potential problem nor do they have a strategy to mitigate the risk of missing relevant information when performing online searches. Most significantly, we provide empirical evidence that up to 20% of relevant information may be missed due to Web search personalisation. This work has significant implications for Web research by public sector professionals, who should be provided with training about the potential algorithmic biases that may affect their judgments and decision making, as well as clear guidelines how to minimise the risk of missing relevant information.Comment: paper submitted to the 11th Intl. Conf. on Social Informatics; revision corrects error in interpretation of parameter Psi/p in RBO resulting from discrepancy between the documentation of the implementation in R (https://rdrr.io/bioc/gespeR/man/rbo.html) and the original definition (https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1852106) as per 20/05/201

An Extreme Mountain Ultra-Marathon Decreases the Cost of Uphill Walking and Running

Purpose: To examine the effects of the world's most challenging mountain ultramarathon (MUM, 330 km, cumulative elevation gain of +24,000 m) on the energy cost and kinematics of different uphill gaits. Methods: Before (PRE) and immediately after (POST) the competition, 19 male athletes performed three submaximal 5-min treadmill exercise trials in a randomized order: walking at 5 km.h-1, +20%; running at 6 km.h-1, +15%; and running at 8 km.h-1, +10%. During the three trials, energy cost was assessed using an indirect calorimetry system and spatiotemporal gait parameters were acquired with a floor-level high-density photoelectric cells system. Results: The average time of the study participants to complete the MUM was 129 h 43 min 48 s (range: 107 h 29 min 24 s to 144 h 21 min 0 s). Energy costs in walking (-11.5 +/- 5.5%, P < 0.001), as well as in the first (-7.2 +/- 3.1%, P = 0.01) and second (-7.0 +/- 3.9%, P = 0.02) running condition decreased between PRE and POST, with a reduction both in the heart rate (-11.3, -10.0, and -9.3%, respectively) and oxygen uptake only for the walking condition (-6.5%). No consistent and significant changes in the kinematics variables were detected (P-values from 0.10 to 0.96). Conclusion: Though fatigued after completing the MUM, the subjects were still able to maintain their uphill locomotion patterns noted at PRE. The decrease (improvement) in the energy costs was likely due to the prolonged and repetitive walking/running, reflecting a generic improvement in the mechanical efficiency of locomotion after ~130 h of uphill locomotion rather than constraints imposed by the activity on the musculoskeletal structure and function

Genetic and metabolic description of five patients with Berardinelli-Seip syndrome

OBJETIVO: Descrever o perfil genético e metabólico de portadores da síndrome de Berardinelli-Seip (BSCL) acompanhados no Instituto da Criança do HC-FMUSP. SUJEITOS E MÉTODOS: Pacientes com as características clínicas da BSCL (n = 5), todas do sexo feminino, foram avaliadas com dosagens de glicose e insulina, lípides, leptina, enzimas hepáticas, análise de DNA, ultrassonografia abdominal. RESULTADOS: A deficiência de leptina e a hipertrigliceridemia foram constatadas nas cinco pacientes. Três evoluíram para diabetes melito (DM). Quatro tiveram mutação no gene AGPAT2 e uma no gene CAV1. CONCLUSÃO: As alterações metabólicas mais precoces foram a hipertrigliceridemia e a resistência insulínica, culminando no surgimento do DM à época da puberdade, sendo as mutações no gene AGPAT2 as mais frequentes em nossa casuística.OBJECTIVE: To report the genetic and metabolic profile of patients with Berardinelli-Seip syndrome (BSCL) followed at Instituto da Criança, HC-FMUSP. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients with clinical features of BSCL (n = 5), all female, were evaluated through serum levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, leptin, and liver enzymes. Abdominal sonography and DNA analysis were also performed. RESULTS: Leptin deficiency and hypertriglyceridemia were found in all the patients. Three progressed to diabetes mellitus. Four patients have mutations in AGPAT2 gene and one have a mutation in CAV1 gene. CONCLUSION: The earliest metabolic abnormalities were hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance, culminating in the onset of diabetes at the time of puberty. Mutations in the AGPAT2 gene were the most frequent in our patients

Injury and Illness Rates During Ultratrail Running

This study aimed to describe injury/illness rates in ultratrail runners competing in a 65-km race to build a foundation for injury prevention and help race organizers to plan medical provision for these events. Prospectively transcribed medical records were analysed for 77 athletes at the end of the race. Number of injuries/illnesses per 1\u2009000 runners and per 1\u2009000-h run, overall injury/illness rate and 90% confidence intervals and rates for major and minor illnesses, musculoskeletal injuries, and skin disorders were analysed. A total of 132 injuries/illnesses were encountered during the race. The overall injuries/illnesses were 1.9 per runner and 13.1 per 1\u2009000-h run. Medical illnesses were the most prominent medical diagnoses encountered (50.3%), followed by musculoskeletal injuries (32.8%), and skin-related disorders (16.9%). Despite the ultra-long nature of the race, the majority of injuries/illnesses were minor in nature. Medical staff and runners should prepare to treat all types of injuries and illnesses, especially the fatigue arising throughout the course of an ultratrail run and injuries to the lower limbs. Future studies should attempt to systematically identify injury locations and mechanisms in order to better direct injury prevention strategies and plan more accurate medical care

A first attempt to produce proteins from insects by means of a circular economy

The worldwide growing consumption of proteins to feed humans and animals has drawn a considerable amount of attention to insect rearing. Insects reared on organic wastes and used as feed for monogastric animals can reduce the environmental impact and increase the sustainability of meat/fish production. In this study, we designed an environmentally closed loop for food supply in which fruit and vegetable waste from markets became rearing substrate for Hermetia illucens (BSF\u2014 black soldier fly). A vegetable and fruit-based substrate was compared to a standard diet for Diptera in terms of larval growth, waste reduction index, and overall substrate degradation. Morphological analysis of insect organs was carried out to obtain indications about insect health. Processing steps such as drying and oil extraction from BSF were investigated. Nutritional and microbiological analyses confirmed the good quality of insects and meal. The meal was then used to produce fish feed and its suitability to this purpose was assessed using trout. Earthworms were grown on leftovers of BSF rearing in comparison to a standard substrate. Chemical analyses of vermicompost were performed. The present research demonstrates that insects can be used to reduce organic waste, increasing at the same time the sustainability of aquaculture and creating interesting by-products through the linked bio-system establishment

ROCK-1 mediates diabetes-induced retinal pigment epithelial and endothelial cell blebbing: Contribution to diabetic retinopathy.

In diabetic retinopathy, the exact mechanisms leading to retinal capillary closure and to retinal barriers breakdown remain imperfectly understood. Rho-associated kinase (ROCK), an effector of the small GTPase Rho, involved in cytoskeleton dynamic regulation and cell polarity is activated by hyperglycemia. In one year-old Goto Kakizaki (GK) type 2 diabetic rats retina, ROCK-1 activation was assessed by its cellular distribution and by phosphorylation of its substrates, MYPT1 and MLC. In both GK rat and in human type 2 diabetic retinas, ROCK-1 is activated and associated with non-apoptotic membrane blebbing in retinal vessels and in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) that respectively form the inner and the outer barriers. Activation of ROCK-1 induces focal vascular constrictions, endoluminal blebbing and subsequent retinal hypoxia. In RPE cells, actin cytoskeleton remodeling and membrane blebs in RPE cells contributes to outer barrier breakdown. Intraocular injection of fasudil, significantly reduces both retinal hypoxia and RPE barrier breakdown. Diabetes-induced cell blebbing may contribute to ischemic maculopathy and represent an intervention target