Formalization of the classification pattern: Survey of classification modeling in information systems engineering

Formalization is becoming more common in all stages of the development of information systems, as a better understanding of its benefits emerges. Classification systems are ubiquitous, no more so than in domain modeling. The classification pattern that underlies these systems provides a good case study of the move towards formalization in part because it illustrates some of the barriers to formalization; including the formal complexity of the pattern and the ontological issues surrounding the ‘one and the many’. Powersets are a way of characterizing the (complex) formal structure of the classification pattern and their formalization has been extensively studied in mathematics since Cantor’s work in the late 19th century. One can use this formalization to develop a useful benchmark. There are various communities within Information Systems Engineering (ISE) that are gradually working towards a formalization of the classification pattern. However, for most of these communities this work is incomplete, in that they have not yet arrived at a solution with the expressiveness of the powerset benchmark. This contrasts with the early smooth adoption of powerset by other Information Systems communities to, for example, formalize relations. One way of understanding the varying rates of adoption is recognizing that the different communities have different historical baggage. Many conceptual modeling communities emerged from work done on database design and this creates hurdles to the adoption of the high level of expressiveness of powersets. Another relevant factor is that these communities also often feel, particularly in the case of domain modeling, a responsibility to explain the semantics of whatever formal structures they adopt. This paper aims to make sense of the formalization of the classification pattern in ISE and surveys its history through the literature; starting from the relevant theoretical works of the mathematical literature and gradually shifting focus to the ISE literature. The literature survey follows the evolution of ISE’s understanding of how to formalize the classification pattern. The various proposals are assessed using the classical example of classification; the Linnaean taxonomy formalized using powersets as a benchmark for formal expressiveness. The broad conclusion of the survey is that (1) the ISE community is currently in the early stages of the process of understanding how to formalize the classification pattern, particularly in the requirements for expressiveness exemplified by powersets and (2) that there is an opportunity to intervene and speed up the process of adoption by clarifying this expressiveness. Given the central place that the classification pattern has in domain modeling, this intervention has the potential to lead to significant improvements.The UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant EP/K009923/1)

Terapia dei disturbi della comunicazione nel cerebroleso adulto

Questo capitolo affronta le tematiche delle competenze comunicative verbali e non verbali nel paziente afasico, e come queste possano essere oggetto di intervento riabilitativo. Si occupa inoltre dei pazienti non afasici con disturbi della pragmatica comunicativa, e più in generale dei disturbi della comunicazione sociale, quadro di frequente riscontro nella fenomenologia del trauma cranio-encefalico. Infine, si occupa delle situazioni in cui le capacità cognitive e di linguaggio interno sono parzialmente o del tutto conservate, e sussiste un deficit nelle modalità espressive. In questi casi l'intervento riabilitativo è mirato alla ricerca e all'addestramento all'utilizzo di canali alternativi alla comunicazione, talvolta anche grazie all'uso di ausili esterni

Non-fatal overdose with U-47700: Identification in biological matrices

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: We report on a case of severe intoxication after insufflation of U-47700, a synthetic opioid that acts as a selective agonist of the \u3bc-opioid receptor, and is several times more potent than morphine. A man in his 30s was found irresponsive in his apartment and was brought to the emergency department of a local hospital. A comatose state and severe respiratory depression were present. Hetero anamnesis revealed that the patient could have taken the substance named "U-47700", bought on the Internet. After supportive care, the patient fully recovered. METHOD: Urine, blood and a white powder found at his home were collected during his hospital stay and sent for testing using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) on an Orbitrap instrument. Later, his pubic hair was also collected. A standard comprehensive toxicology screening was performed. RESULTS: U-47700 was identified in all biological samples and in the seized white powder. Using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) the presence of U-47700 and its phase I and phase II metabolites in blood, urine and pubic hair was confirmed. U-47700 was determined at 94 ng/mL and 5.2 ng/mL in blood at the admission and the day after, respectively, and 3.02 ng/mg in pubic hair, together with its metabolites. No other opioid nor designer drug could be detected in blood and urine, while in pubic hair Cocaine, Benzoylecgonine, Norcocaine, Mephedrone, Ketamine, Norketamine, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabinol were also detected. CONCLUSION: The toxicological findings confirmed the use of U-47700 in the intoxicated patient and also revealed a history of a poly-drug use. The use of LC-HRMS allowed the easy identification of the NPS and its metabolites in fluids and hai

Upper limb secondary lymphedema ultrasound mapping and characterization.

Background: Ultrasound investigation potentials in lymphedema are still to be fully used in everyday practice. Aim of the present study was to report the sonographic characterization of the dermo-epidermal complex (DEC) and of the subcutaneous (SUBC) tissue, assessing the feasibility of a related mapping, in upper limb secondary lymphedema. Methods: In this retrospective study 287 patients affected by monolateral upper limb post-mastectomy lymphedema (M5/F282; mean age 64±4.24) were enrolled and scanned by ultrasound, considering the healthy contralateral limb as control. In order to standardize the assessment, the limb was divided in sectors: 4 anterior, 4 posterior below the elbow, 4 anterior and 4 posterior above the elbow, plus the hand. DEC and SUBC regions B-mode appearance were reported, both in the healthy and in the pathological arms. DEC thickness was measured and compared among the same sectors of the healthy and pathological limbs. Results: DEC and SUBC sonographic appearance was differentiated in fluid and sclerotic. DEC included a third category characterized by differentiation loss. The different sectors showed significantly different lymphatic involvement in the affected limb. In the comparison with the contralateral unaffected segments a significantly thicker DEC was reported in the forearm affected by lymphedema (P<0.005), while no significant difference was reported at the arm level. Conclusions: Traditional ultrasonography can provide a secondary upper limb lymphedema characterization with related mapping and useful data for a better lymphatic physiopathology understanding and for a properly addressed therapeutic protocol

Mini-invasive foam sclerotherapy-assisted ligation versus surgical flush ligation for incompetent sapheno-popliteal junction treatment

Objectives: Comparison of a flush sapheno-popliteal junction ligation versus a mini-invasive foam sclerotherapy-assisted ligation. Methods: Forty-eight chronic venous disease patients underwent sapheno-popliteal junction flush ligation (group A). Forty-one patients underwent small saphenous vein ligation by means of mini-invasive incision with foam sclerotherapy of the popliteal stump (group B). Results: At 4.1 ± 3.3 years mean follow-up, sapheno-popliteal junction recurrence was detected in four patients of group A (4/48; 8.3%) and in two cases of group B (3/41; 7.3%) (P=ns). Mean procedural time was 36 ± 11 minutes versus 21 ± 6 minutes (p<0.0001). A mild post-operative paresthesia lasting more than 24 h was reported in 6.3% (3/48) of group A versus 2.4% (1/41) (p<0.009) of group B. At one-year check-up, Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire significantly improved in both groups with no significant difference between group A and B. Conclusions: Foam-assisted mini-invasive sapheno-popliteal ligation represents a time and clinical-effective option, associated with a decrease in post-operative paresthesia risk

Upper limb secondary lymphedema ultrasound mapping and characterization.

reserved7siBackground: Ultrasound investigation potentials in lymphedema are still to be fully used in everyday practice. Aim of the present study was to report the sonographic characterization of the dermo-epidermal complex (DEC) and of the subcutaneous (SUBC) tissue, assessing the feasibility of a related mapping, in upper limb secondary lymphedema. Methods: In this retrospective study 287 patients affected by monolateral upper limb post-mastectomy lymphedema (M5/F282; mean age 64±4.24) were enrolled and scanned by ultrasound, considering the healthy contralateral limb as control. In order to standardize the assessment, the limb was divided in sectors: 4 anterior, 4 posterior below the elbow, 4 anterior and 4 posterior above the elbow, plus the hand. DEC and SUBC regions B-mode appearance were reported, both in the healthy and in the pathological arms. DEC thickness was measured and compared among the same sectors of the healthy and pathological limbs. Results: DEC and SUBC sonographic appearance was differentiated in fluid and sclerotic. DEC included a third category characterized by differentiation loss. The different sectors showed significantly different lymphatic involvement in the affected limb. In the comparison with the contralateral unaffected segments a significantly thicker DEC was reported in the forearm affected by lymphedema (P&lt;0.005), while no significant difference was reported at the arm level. Conclusions: Traditional ultrasonography can provide a secondary upper limb lymphedema characterization with related mapping and useful data for a better lymphatic physiopathology understanding and for a properly addressed therapeutic protocol.mixedAntonio MANDER, Salvatore VENOSI, Erica MENEGATTI, Lee BYUNG-BOONG, Diana NEUHARDT, Elisa MAIETTI, Sergio GIANESINIMander, Antonio; Venosi, Salvatore; Menegatti, Erica; BYUNG-BOONG, Lee; Neuhardt, Diana; Maietti, Elisa; Gianesini, Sergi

La Terra delle meraviglie. Teatro e musica tra Ville e Delizie

Il lettore-spettatore percorrerà un viaggio affascinante dove potrà scorgere – tra Ville e Delizie – la bellezza frugale o febbrile, l’estro e i dirompenti sensi che legano lo spartito alla partitura delle nostre esistenze. Queste pagine vogliono essere una riflessione sulla ricerca del sapere e uno studio sulla genesi dell’arte nelle sue espressioni teatrali e musicali, in una terra, quella italiana, modellata dalla civiltà dell’uomo. Da un teatro palladiano al concerto delle dame, da un pirotecnico spettacolo rinascimentale alla melodia polifonica, dalla tragedia greca alla compagnia dei Bardi, dal 'recitar cantando' al Paese del melodramma, il suono e il ritmo si fonderanno con l’inchiostro per plasmare l’essenza della musica e scandirne le diverse virtù ('ethos') tra uomo e natura, 'mousiké' e 'oikos'. Suoni, visioni e conoscenza come momenti per avvicinarsi delicatamente al mistero della voce umana che prende sembianze diverse: ora lamento amoroso e inno, ora rappresentazione teatrale e finzione, ora maschera e segreto. 45 contributi, 42 autori (docenti universitari, studiosi, musicologi). Tavole fuori testo a colori. Prefazione di Marco Dorigatti, University of Oxford