The FRAD model

This article reviews FRAD's origins, structure and themes (Functional Requirements for Authority Data), a conceptual model developed by IFLA to analyze authority data through an entity-relationship perspective. The first section concerns the development of the document, from constitution of FRANAR in 1999 to the publication of FRAD in 2009. The following three sections are dedicated to innovations and features of the model: the entities, represented by sixteen essential elements of FRAD's framework, the attributes, namely the data held by entities, and the relationships, the dynamic part of FRAD's system. Finally, we briefly introduce the four user tasks and we reconstruct the reciprocal influences between FRAD and other important library science documents published in recent years

Need (more than) two to Tango: Multiple tools to adapt to changes in oxygen availability

Oxygen is a fundamental element for the life of a large number of living organisms allowing an efficient energetic utilization of substrates. Organisms relying on oxygen evolved complex structures for oxygen delivery and biochemical machineries dealing with its safe utilization and the ability to overcome the potentially harmful consequences of changes in oxygen availability. On fact, cells composing complex Eukaryotic organisms are set to live within an optimum narrow range of oxygen, quite specific for each cell type. Minute modifications of oxygen availability, either positive or negative, induce the expression of specific genes, the major actors of this responses being the transcription factors HIF and Nrf2 that control the attempt to cope with low oxygen (hypoxia) or to either high oxygen or to an oxygen “overflow,” respectively. This review describes the interaction between these two transcription factors and their interaction with the transcription factor NF-kB acting as a pivotal determinant of final cel

Il primo Congresso mondiale delle biblioteche e di bibliografia, Roma-Venezia, 15-30 giugno 1929

The first World Congress of libraries and Bibliography took place in Rome and Venice from 15 to 30 June 1929. It was attended by 880 libraries and librarians from 35 countries, and by a delegate of the League of Nations. The conference is a key event in the history of Italian and international libraries, and in the cultural politics of the Fascist regime. The Congress, however, has never been studied analytically. The reasons for this surprising lack of interest, even decades later, are still to understand. The Congress was the first global meeting of the International Library and Bibliographical Committee, formed in Edinburgh in 1927, consisting of representatives from 15 library associations, who had voted for the "Edinburgh Resolution". It formally instituted the founding core of that association which just in Italy, during the conference, was officially called the International Federation of Library Association (IFLA). The Italian government sensed the opportunity to transform the initiative in Congress regime and granted the necessary financial and organizational help; a specific law was enacted: no. 3094 of 27 December 1928. The Duce himself participated, on June 15, 1929, at the opening session in the Capitol, with a speech that marked the relationship between the Regime and Congress. Pope Pius XI, former prefect of the Ambrosian and Vatican Library, received the delegates. The conference was divided into 16 sections in which were discussed technical issues, professional issues and reports of international cooperation.Il primo Congresso mondiale delle biblioteche e di bibliografia si svolse a Roma e Venezia dal 15 al 30 giugno 1929. Vi parteciparono 880 bibliotecarie e bibliotecari provenienti da 35 paesi, e un delegato della Società delle Nazioni. Il convegno rappresenta un avvenimento fondamentale per la storia delle biblioteche, italiane e mondiali, e per la politica culturale del Regime fascista. Il Congresso, tuttavia, non è stato mai studiato analiticamente. Le motivazioni del sorprendente scarso interesse, anche a distanza di decenni, sono tuttora da comprendere. Il Congresso fu il primo incontro mondiale dell’International Library and Bibliographical Committee, costituito a Edimburgo nel 1927, composto da rappresentanti di 15 associazioni bibliotecarie, che avevano votato la “Edinburgh Resolution”; essa istituiva formalmente il nucleo fondante di quell’associazione, che proprio in Italia, durante il congresso, fu ufficialmente denominata International Federation of Library Association (IFLA). Il Governo italiano intuì l’opportunità di trasformare il Congresso in un’iniziativa di regime e concesse l’aiuto organizzativo e finanziario necessario; fu emanata una legge specifica: la n. 3094 del 27 dicembre 1928. Il Duce in persona partecipò, il 15 giugno 1929, alla sessione inaugurale, in Campidoglio, leggendo un saluto in cui marcava la relazione tra Regime e Congresso. Papa Pio XI, già prefetto dell’Ambrosiana e della Vaticana, ricevette i delegati. Il convegno si articolò in 16 sezioni, in cui furono dibattute questioni tecniche, questioni professionali e rapporti di cooperazione internazionale

Nasal anomalies review with CT or MRI: from congenital to malignant.

Learning Objectives. To describe imaging findings of a wide spectrum of uncommon nasal cavity masses evaluated at our institution by CT, CBCT and MR imaging, clinically and pathologically proven. Background. In this work we present a succinct review of disease illustrated by a retrospective case series of nasalcavity masses, evaluated at our institution. between 2010 and 2013. Patients have been studied with different imaging modalities including multiraw computed tomography (CT), cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MR) to illustrate the findings and to summarize the main diagnostic keypoints for the differential diagnosis of nasal masses. Clinicopathological correlation is also reported and imaging findings we present have been isthopathologically proven. Images aid in recognition and characterization of the lesions. Many different types of lesions may involve the nasal cavities and imaging studies, CBCT, CT and MR, provide anatomical details and could be helpful first in differentiating benign to malignant lesions and secondary in characterization of the lesion. Referring to non neoplastic lesions, rinoliths, piogenic granuloma and septal mucocele are reported. Referring to benign and borderline tumors osteoma, hamartoma, hemangioma, hemangiopericytoma, cemento-ossifying fibroma, antrochoanal polip and inverted papilloma are reported. Referring to malignant neoplasms intestinal type adenocarcinoma, esthesioneuroblastoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma are reported. CONCLUSION. This review of uncommon nasal masses studied with different imaging modalities (CT, CBCT and MRI)should be useful in differential diagnosis of the wide spectrum of nasal tumors and non tumors masses

Structural features and immunological perception of the cell surface glycans of Lactobacillus plantarum: a novel rhamnose-rich polysaccharide and teichoic acids

Abstract The capsular material from Lactobacillus plantarum IMB19, an isolate from fermented vegetables, has been analyzed and our results demonstrate that most of the coat of this bacterium consists of glycerol- and ribitol-type teichoic acids, further decorated with other substituents (α-glucose and alanine), and of a capsular polysaccharide (CPS) with a linear nonasaccharide repeating unit, rich in rhamnose, interconnected to the next via a phosphodiester bridge. Stimulation of immune cells with the total capsular material resulted in the enhancement of immunostimulatory (IFNγ, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-12) or immuno-regulatory (IL-10) cytokines in an in vitro splenocyte culture system. The capsular polysaccharide, and not the teichoic acids mixture, was responsible for the IFNγ production. Indeed, a significant increase of IFNγ along with other inflammatory cytokines, and a dose response in IFNγ expression with an EC50 of 3.16 μM was found for CPS, disclosing that this polysaccharide is a potent immunostimulatory molecule

Phenolic Profiles, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Hydrodistillation Wastewaters from Five Lamiaceae Species

Distillation is the most widely used method to obtain an essential oil from plant material. The biomass used in the process is returned as a solid residue together with variable amounts of water rich in water-soluble compounds, which currently are not addressed to any further application. The scope of this work was to evaluate the phytochemical composition of wastewaters coming from hydrodistillation (DWWs) of five aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family, and to assess their in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The phenolic profiles of the DWWs were determined by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-ESI/MS. Free radical scavenging ability, oxygen radical antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase mimetic activity of the samples under study were measured. Moreover, to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of the DWWs, an in vitro experimental model of intestinal inflammation was used. The DWW samples' phytochemical analysis allowed the identification of 37 phenolic compounds, all exhibiting good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Our study contributes to the knowledge on the polyphenolic composition of the DWWs of five aromatic plants of the Lamiaceae family. The results highlight the presence of compounds with proven biological activity, and therefore of great interest in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical fields

Structure of the chlorovirus PBCV-1 major capsid glycoprotein determined by combining crystallographic and carbohydrate molecular modeling approaches

The glycans of the major capsid protein (Vp54) of Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus (PBCV-1) were recently described and found to be unusual. This prompted a reexamination of the previously reported Vp54 X-ray structure. A detailed description of the complete glycoprotein was achieved by combining crystallographic data with molecular modeling. The crystallographic data identified most of the monosaccharides located close to the protein backbone, but failed to detect those further from the glycosylation sites. Molecular modeling complemented this model by adding the missing monosaccharides and examined the conformational preference of the whole molecule, alone or within the crystallographic environment. Thus, combining X-ray crystallography with carbohydrate molecular modeling resulted in determining the complete glycosylated structure of a glycoprotein. In this case, it is the chlorovirus PBCV-1 major capsid protein. Includes supplemental appendi

New applications of Diffusion Tensor Imaging techniques in the morphological evaluation of healthy and injured muscles

Purpose of this study was to evaluate a new approach with a DTI technique for the study of architecture of healthy and injured striated muscle tissue in cases of strain injury. DTI technique allows to highlight the magnitude and direction of the diffusion of water molecules in tissues and it becomes an indicator of the functional organization, allowing the identification of connections between the different structures showing any pathological changes. Currently this technique is routinely used in the study of CNS but recently it has also been proposed in the morphological evaluation of skeletal muscle. The application of this technique allows us to detect the presence of anomalies such as the alteration and displacement of the muscle bundles [1,2] and could play a crucial role not only in diagnosis but also in managing the rehabilitation of muscle injuries. The entire study was performed using a 3T Achieva Philips scanner; a SENSE 8 channels head coil, acquiring DTI sequence and T1 weighted 3D TFE. DTI was performed in 10 men with a strain injuries (grade I or II) in the lower limb muscles previously diagnosed by ultrasound examination. For each patient, we analyzed both healthy and injured limbs. The examination performed in the acute phase (within ten days from the injury) showed the presence of an area of oedema or haemorrhage of variable size. The perilesional area, if compared to healthy tissue, showed a marked alteration of the alignment of fibers. The examination carried out at a distance of 15-20 days showed a progressive reduction in the extent of haemorrhage that highlighted the structural alterations of the injured area, and noted a reduction in muscle fiber size of the affected muscle. The DTI provides detailed information on anatomical alterations in muscles strain and therefore may play a crucial role in diagnostic classification of the lesions. The evaluation of the scar may also be used to evaluate the healing has occurred not only from the clinical but also from anatomical perspective

Materials and Tools across Volcanoes: Exploitation of Georesources in Piano dei Cardoni (Ustica, Italy) during Prehistory.

The paper aims at merging the first results from the analyses of the georesources exploited in the site of Piano dei Cardoni (Ustica island, Italy) during the Neolithic phases of its occupation (MiddleLate Neolithic, 4.7-4.2 ka cal BC). Grinding tools consist of a very varied typology of local volcanic rocks, easy to collect and available very close to the investigated site. A selection of shapes and lithology is applied to reach the best performance of the tools. The elevated number of grinders, pestles, mortars testify to an intense activity of food/plant processing in the site. The absence of chert or obsidian resources on the island pushed the human communities to import such raw materials from the Aeolian islands and probably from the north-western area of Palermo. Pumice is collected on the same island, probably due to the local availability and its good quality. Similarly, local clay resources are used for the manufacture of ceramics, mostly burnished and incised wares. Ustica was therefore almost autonomous for the exploitation of resources, with volcanic rocks readily available in abundance and with the most significant exception being chert and obsidian. This last one probably imported and worked on the island and then moved towards North-Western Sicil