A simple and portable method for on-line texture measurement of Italian “Speck Alto Adige"

Texture is a relevant parameter for the assessment of cured ham's quality. In this study a rapid on-line instrumental technique for the measurement of the texture of pieces of cured smoked ham intended for sale as “Speck Alto Adige” PGI was developed. Speck samples were subjected to a compression test using a portable Shore A tester, and instrumental data were compared with conventional texture analyses (texture profile analysis and stress relaxation test) and with sensory evaluations. First, a hardness range in which a threshold value could be identified for the eligibility of 120 speck samples for the “Speck Alto Adige” PGI indication was established; afterwards, a Shore A hardness threshold value of 48 was defined based on measurements of more than 1000 samples. These findings may help manufacturers to determine the textural properties of Speck, based on a simple and rapid instrumental analysisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Predictors of Fabry disease in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: how to guide the diagnostic strategy?

Fabry disease (FD) is a treatable cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We aimed to determine the independent predictors of FD and to define a clinically useful strategy to discriminate FD among HCM.Shire Human Genetic Therapies, Inc.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The European Reference Genome Atlas: piloting a decentralised approach to equitable biodiversity genomics.

ABSTRACT: A global genome database of all of Earth’s species diversity could be a treasure trove of scientific discoveries. However, regardless of the major advances in genome sequencing technologies, only a tiny fraction of species have genomic information available. To contribute to a more complete planetary genomic database, scientists and institutions across the world have united under the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), which plans to sequence and assemble high-quality reference genomes for all ∼1.5 million recognized eukaryotic species through a stepwise phased approach. As the initiative transitions into Phase II, where 150,000 species are to be sequenced in just four years, worldwide participation in the project will be fundamental to success. As the European node of the EBP, the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) seeks to implement a new decentralised, accessible, equitable and inclusive model for producing high-quality reference genomes, which will inform EBP as it scales. To embark on this mission, ERGA launched a Pilot Project to establish a network across Europe to develop and test the first infrastructure of its kind for the coordinated and distributed reference genome production on 98 European eukaryotic species from sample providers across 33 European countries. Here we outline the process and challenges faced during the development of a pilot infrastructure for the production of reference genome resources, and explore the effectiveness of this approach in terms of high-quality reference genome production, considering also equity and inclusion. The outcomes and lessons learned during this pilot provide a solid foundation for ERGA while offering key learnings to other transnational and national genomic resource projects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey

Background Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance