7,004 research outputs found

    Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors Improve Micturition Control in Mice

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    Poor micturition control may cause profound distress, because proper voiding is mandatory for an active social life. Micturition results from the subtle interplay of central and peripheral components. It involves the coordination of autonomic and neuromuscular activity at the brainstem level, under the executive control of the prefrontal cortex. We tested the hypothe- sis that administration of molecules acting as reuptake inhibitors of serotonin, noradrenaline or both may exert a strong effect on the control of urine release, in a mouse model of overac- tive bladder. Mice were injected with cyclophosphamide (40 mg/kg), to increase micturition acts. Mice were then given one of four molecules: the serotonin reuptake inhibitor imipra- mine, its metabolite desipramine that acts on noradrenaline reuptake, the serotonin and nor- adrenaline reuptake inhibitor duloxetine or its active metabolite 4-hydroxy-duloxetine. Cyclophosphamide increased urine release without inducing overt toxicity or inflammation, except for increase in urothelium thickness. All the antidepressants were able to decrease the cyclophosphamide effects, as apparent from longer latency to the first micturition act, decreased number of urine spots and volume of released urine. These results suggest that serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors exert a strong and effective modulatory ef- fect on the control of urine release and prompt to additional studies on their central effects on brain areas involved in the social and behavioral control of micturition

    Utilizzare la Statistica per il Monitoraggio dei grandi eventi sociali a Brescia Smart City

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    Da un anno Comune e Università di Brescia collaborano alla sperimentazione delle possibilità offerte dai dati di telefonia mobile per ottenere indicazioni utili a migliorare la qualità dei grandi eventi sociali che si svolgono in città. Le manifestazioni del 2013 individuate per avviare tale attività sono molto conosciute al grande pubblico: la gara automobilistica storica Mille Miglia e la competizione ciclistica Giro d’Italia, che per la prima volta si concludeva a Brescia. Ma la sperimentazione continua anche nel 2014, con il monitoraggio della manifestazione cittadina chiamata Notte Bianca. Dopo aver superato alcuni problemi tecnici legati al trattamento e alla sintesi dei dati ottenuti nelle tre occasioni, l’analisi statistica ha permesso di valutare le grandi potenzialità di questa fonte informativa, a supporto della programmazione di tali eventi e più in generale del marketing territoriale

    Wear in Hot Stamping by Partition Heating

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    Hot stamping by partition heating of Al\u2013Si coated boron steel sheets is currently utilized to produce parts of the car body-in-white with tailored microstructural and mechanical characteristics. This paper investigates the evolution of the Al\u2013Si coating and its tribological and wear performances in the case of direct heating at the process temperatures of 700 \ub0C, 800 \ub0C, and 900 \ub0C, skipping the preliminary austenitization as it may happen in the case of tailored tempered parts production. A specifically designed pin-on-disk configuration was used to reproduce at a laboratory scale the process thermo-mechanical cycle. The results show the morphological and chemical variation of the Al\u2013Si coating with heating temperature, as well as that the friction coefficient, decreases with increased temperature. Furthermore, the results proved that the adhesive wear is the main mechanism a

    A Meramod<sup>®</sup> model approach for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the off-shore aquaculture improvement in the Alghero Bay (North western Sardinia, Italy)

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    Marine fish farming generates particulate wastes which are dispersed in the sea environment. To deal with this problem, particulate waste dispersion models have been developed to predict the effects of fish cage culture. In this study, we evaluated the seabed deposition of a fish farming facility located in the central western Mediterranean by using the Meramod® model. The objectives where first to assess the actual scenario, and second to forecast the possible impact due to the forthcoming enlargement of the farming area with the addition of new fish cages. By computing the hydrodynamic measurements and the daily amount of feed recorded between July and December 2006, the impact seabed surfaces forecasted by the model increased from 5.6ha in the actual scenario, up to 7.3ha in the future. The model estimated a maximum level of total solid flux deposition of 3,800g/m2bed/year and a maximum level of total carbon flux deposition of 1,350g/m2bed/year for both scenarios. Furthermore, the model predicted that the installation of 4 new fish cages (with an hypothetical mean daily amount of feed of 50kg/cage) will produce a total solid and carbon flux deposition levels ranging 0-400 and 0-150g/m2bed/year respectively, under the new fish cages location

    A Meramod® model approach for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the off–shore aquaculture improvement in the Alghero Bay (North western Sardinia, Italy)

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    Marine fish farming generates particulate wastes which are dispersed in the sea environment. To deal with this problem, particulate waste dispersion models have been developed to predict the effects of fish cage culture. In this study, we evaluated the seabed deposition of a fish farming facility located in the central western Mediterranean by using the Meramod® model. The objectives where first to assess the actual scenario, and second to forecast the possible impact due to the forthcoming enlargement of the farming area with the addition of new fish cages. By computing the hydrodynamic measurements and the daily amount of feed recorded between July and December 2006, the impact seabed surfaces forecasted by the model increased from 5.6ha in the actual scenario, up to 7.3ha in the future. The model estimated a maximum level of total solid flux deposition of 3,800g/m2bed/year and a maximum level of total carbon flux deposition of 1,350g/m2bed/year for both scenarios. Furthermore, the model predicted that the installation of 4 new fish cages (with an hypothetical mean daily amount of feed of 50kg/cage) will produce a total solid and carbon flux deposition levels ranging 0-400 and 0-150g/m2bed/year respectively, under the new fish cages location

    Preliminary groundwater modelling by considering the interaction with superficial water: Aosta plain case (northern Italy)

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    The study is developed through scientific cooperation between the University of Milano-Bicocca and the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA) of the Valle d'Aosta Region. Its aim is to produce a decision-support tool to help the Public Administration'manage groundwater and public water supply. The study area is the plain of Aosta, between the cities of Aymavilles and Brissogne; in this area groundwater represents the main source of public water supply. The valley is oriented east-west, along the Baltea for a length of 13.1 km and a width of 4.6 km. The textural and hydrogeological properties of the deposits are strictly connected to glacial deposition and to the subsequent sedimentary processes which took place in glacial, lacustrine and fluvial systems. The study is based on available well information in the Aosta plain - including water wells (133) and piezometers (121) - which have been coded and stored in the well database TANGRAM,. The database facilitates interpretation of the well data, and it allows three-dimensional mapping of subsurface hydrogeological characteristics through database codification and ordinary kriging interpolation. The study is designed to achieve two objectives. The first is to provide the Aosta Public Authorities with a well database in order to simplify groundwater management. The second is to provide Public Authorities with a groundwater flow model of the local aquifer. The model integrates surface and subsurface flows in order to fully account for all important stresses, both natural and anthropogenic, on the groundwater system. It provides a tool for testing hypotheses (such as the impact of new wells) and thereby allows science-based management of the aquifer resource

    Genetic algorithms for hyperparameter optimization in predictive business process monitoring

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    Predictive business process monitoring exploits event logs to predict how ongoing (uncompleted) traces will unfold up to their completion. A predictive process monitoring framework collects a range of techniques that allow users to get accurate predictions about the achievement of a goal for a given ongoing trace. These techniques can be combined and their parameters configured in different framework instances. Unfortunately, a unique framework instance that is general enough to outperform others for every dataset, goal or type of prediction is elusive. Thus, the selection and configuration of a framework instance needs to be done for a given dataset. This paper presents a predictive process monitoring framework armed with a hyperparameter optimization method to select a suitable framework instance for a given dataset

    Statin-associated necrotizing autoimmune myopathy with concurrent myasthenia gravis

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    Statin treatment has been associated with necrotizing autoimmune myopathy and has been linked to myasthenia gravis. We present an unprecedented clinical challenge with both disorders occurring in a patient treated with statins few months earlier
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