Daily functioning, problem solving and satisfaction for quality of life in visually impaired old persons

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of several dimensions of functioning on satisfaction for quality of life (QoL) experienced by visually impaired older adults. Participants: A sample of 58 older adults (37 women and 21 men) was involved in the study. Their age ranged from 50 to 88 years (M=68.95, SD=1.51). They were characterized by visual impairment of different origin and visual acuity (VA) ranging from 4/10 to total blindness. The QoL questionnaire was used along with short form-12 health Survey, the National Eye Institute visual function questionnaire-25 and problem solving inventory (PSI) which analyzes problem solving appraisal. Results: A stepwise regression analysis was conducted in order to find predictors of satisfaction for QoL. A contribution of mental and physical health, more specifically, of problem solving appraisal was found. Conclusion: Results support the notion that the functional relationship between visual impairment and satisfaction for QoL must be understood in terms of approaches that incorporate psychological and socio-cognitive elements. Problem solving appraisal, in fact, makes a substantial contribution to the prediction of variance in life satisfaction and it may play an important role for intervention strategies

M-phase promoting factor (MPF) and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) activities of domestic cat oocytes matured <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i>

This work was undertaken in order to examine M-phase promoting factor (MPF) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) activities during meiotic progression of cat oocytes cultured in two different media for two different incubation times and preovulatory cat oocytes that reached MII in vivo. Oocytes recovered from ovaries of ovariectomized cats were cultured either in TCM 199 or SOF for 24 h and 40 h. In vivo matured oocytes were recovered by follicular aspiration from ovaries of domestic cats ovariectomized 24 h to 26 h after hormonal treatment. Results showed that the kinetic of MPF and MAPK activity was similar during meiotic progression of cat oocytes matured in TCM 199 and SOF. After 24 h of incubation, MII oocytes had significantly (p &lt; 0.001) higher MPF and MAPK levels than MII oocytes cultured for 40 h in both culture media. MPF and MAPK activity was significantly (p &lt; 0.01) lower in the oocytes matured in vitro than in those matured in vivo. This study provides evidence that the two different maturation media did not determine differences in MPF and MAPK fluctuations and levels during meiotic progression of cat oocytes and that the time of maturation influenced the level of the two kinases. Moreover, it shows that MPF and MPK activity is higher in in vivo matured oocytes than in in vitro matured oocytes, suggesting a possible incomplete cytoplasmic maturation after culture

Vitiligo and autoimmune thyroid disorders

Vitiligo represents the most common cause of acquired skin, hair and oral depigmentation, affecting 0.5-1% of the population worldwide. It is clinically characterized by the appearance of disfiguring circumscribed skin macules following melanocyte destruction by autoreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Patients affected by vitiligo usually show a poorer quality of life and are more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms, particularly evident in dark-skinned individuals. Although vitiligo is a non-fatal disease, exposure of affected skin to UV light increases the chance of skin irritation and predisposes to skin cancer. In addition, vitiligo has been associated to other rare systemic disorders due to presence of melanocytes in other body districts, such as in the eyes, auditory, nervous and cardiac tissues, where melanocytes are thought to have roles different from that played in the skin. Several pathogenetic models have been proposed to explain vitiligo onset and progression, but clinical and experimental findings point mainly to the autoimmune hypothesis as the most qualified one. In this context, it is of relevance the strong association of vitiligo with other autoimmune diseases, in particular with autoimmune thyroid disorders, such as Hashimoto thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. In this review, after a brief overview of vitiligo and its pathogenesis, we will describe the clinical association between vitiligo and autoimmune thyroid disorders and discuss the possible underlying molecular mechanism(s)

Study of convective motions and analysis of the impact of physical parametrization on the WRF-ARW forecast model

Optimizing the physical parametrizations of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is one of the most challenging and complex tasks. In fact, it is not a simple operation to optimize the performance of a meteorological model capable of forecasting meteorological events, even extreme ones, in complex orographic areas such as that of Sicily. In this reference framework, the research activity of the group of meteorology and environmental modeling, established at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Physical Sciences and Earth Sciences (MIFT) of the University of Messina, focuses on the development of a physical-mathematical model for the meteorological forecast. The WRF prediction model is evaluated on the ability to predict the development and evolution of a thunderstorm cell. After the definition of the domain under study and the choice of spatial resolution to be used, it was proceeded to the optimization of the physical  parametrizations. In particular, in this paper, the performance improvements of the WRF model were evaluated, obtained by optimizing the convective parametrizations. As a case study, the meteorological event recorded in Sicily on 9 June 2016 was examined

Caratterizzazione genetica mediante microsatelliti di una popolazione caprina siciliana

I microsatelliti sono ad oggi i marcatori molecolari maggiormente utilizzati per la caratterizzazione genetica nei caprini. Lo scopo del presente lavoro è stato quello di caratterizzare la struttura genetica della capra Mascaruna per verificare se può essere definita come una popolazione. L’analisi è stata condotta utilizzando un pannello di 18 microsatelliti. Il DNA è stato estratto da 60 individui di cui 20 Mascaruna (MAS), 20 Girgentana (GIR) e 20 animali derivanti da diversi incroci (MIX). Un totale di 148 alleli sono stati osservati di cui 106 in GIR, 107 in MAS e 129 in MIX; il valore del PIC è di 0,69 e tutti i marcatori hanno mostrato un numero di alleli superiori a 4. Valori più alti di MNA, Ho e He sono stati trovati in MIX (MNA=7,17, Ho=0,700 e He=0,731), seguito da MAS (MNA=5,94, Ho=0,697 e He=0,703) e GIR (MNA= 5,89, Ho=0,590 e He=0,666). Il più alto valore del Fis, che misura il livello di inbreeding all’interno di ciascuna popolazione, è stato trovato in GIR, mentre MAS ha mostrato il più basso valore. Alleli privati, in particolare in MAS, sono stati trovati con frequenza relativamente alta (13% e 20%). L’analisi delle distanze genetiche di Nei e Reynolds indicano una maggiore distanza tra MAS e GIR. Anche l’ACF mostra una chiara separazione di MAS rispetto agli altri due gruppi. Il test di assegnazione effettuato con STRUCTURE mostra per MAS un cluster meno definito rispetto a quello di GIR, ma più definito rispetto a MIX. Questo studio riporta i primi risultati sulla caratterizzazione genetica della capra MAS. I dati ottenuti mostrano una uniformità genetica confrontabile con quella riportata per altre razze o popolazioni ufficialmente riconosciute. Ulteriori studi verranno condotti al fine di confermare i risultati ottenuti e definire le origini della capra MAS

Effect of hairless gene polymorphism on the breeding values of milk production traits in Valle del Belice sheep

The aim of this work was to assess the association between the hairless genotypes and estimated breeding values (EBVs) for milk yield (MY), fat (FAT) and protein (PRT) content in Valle del Belice dairy sheep breed. A data set from 465 randomly chosen unrelated individuals was analyzed. EBV for MY, FAT and PRT contents were estimated by REML analysis of a single trait repeatability animal model. The genotype effect on EBV was assessed by ANOVA and by the Tukey–Kramer multiple comparison test. The PCR-SSCP test showed the presence of CC and CT genotypes in Valle del Belice individuals. Some differences in milk production traits between the genotypes were found. For MY, individuals with CT genotype produced 1.5 times more daily milk than CC homozygotes. Individuals with CC genotype showed eight times less FAT content and 1.7 times less PRT content than the heterozygous. However, these differences were not statistically different, probably due to the low frequency of the CT genotype. Considering our results, polymorphisms of the hr gene do not directly influence production traits, but if further studies confirm our hypothesis, the hr gene could be used in a marker assisted selection program

Study of polymorphisms in the promoter region of ovine β-lactoglobulin gene and phylogenetic analysis among the Valle del Belice breed and other sheep breeds considered as ancestors

The aim of this work was to sequence the promoter region of b-lactoglobulin (BLG) gene in four sheep breeds, in order to identify polymorphisms, infer and analyze haplotypes, and phylogenetic relationship among the Valle del Belice breed and the other three breeds considered as ancestors. Sequencing analysis and alignment of the obtained sequences showed the presence of 36 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and one deletion. A total of 22 haplotypes found in ‘‘best’’ reconstruction were inferred considering the 37 polymorphic sites identified. Haplotypes were used for the reconstruction of a phylogenetic tree using the Neighbor-Joining algorithm. The number of polymorphisms identified showed high variability within breeds. Analysis of genetic diversity indexes showed that the Sarda breed presented the lowest nucleotide diversity, whereas the Comisana breed presented the highest one. Comparing the nucleotide diversity among breeds, the highest value was obtained between Valle del Belice and Pinzirita breeds, whereas the lowest one was between Valle del Belice and Sarda breeds. Considering that polymorphisms in the promoter region of BLG gene could have a functional role associated with milk composition, the lowest value of nucleotide diversity between Valle del Belice and Sarda breeds may be related to a higher similarity of milk composition of these two breeds compared to the others. Further analyses will be conducted in order to evaluate the possible correlation between the genetic diversity indexes and the BLG content in milk of our breeds

Genetic polymorphism at the CSN1S1 gene in Girgentana dairy goat breed

The aim of this work was to evaluate the variability of the s1-casein locus in the endangered Girgentana dairy goat breed in order to define genetic improvement and conservation program for this breed. The study was performed on 200 dairy goats by means of different PCR protocols. The most frequent alleles were A (0.590) and F (0.290) followed by B (0.065) and N (0.047). CSN1S1 E allele was identified with a very low frequency (0.008). The most common genotype was AF (0.365) followed by AA (0.340). The high frequency of the strong genotypes is associated with the production of milk with high fat and protein content and with optimal technological properties. In Girgentana goat breed, the CSN1S1 genotype information could be utilized in selection strategies for milk protein content and milk yield, in order to select genetic lines for the production of “drinking milk” using weak and null genotypes, and for niche products using strong genotypes

Use of the Peak-Detector mode for gain calibration of SiPM sensors with ASIC CITIROC read-out

The Cherenkov Imaging Telescope Integrated Read Out Chip (CITIROC) is a 32-channel fully analogue front-end ASIC dedicated to the read-out of silicon photo-multiplier (SiPM) sensors that can be used in a variety of experiments with different applications: nuclear physics, medical imaging, astrophysics, etc. It has been adopted as front-end for the focal plane detectors of the ASTRI-Horn Cherenkov telescope and, in this context, it was modified implementing the peak detector reading mode to satisfy the instrument requirements. For each channel, two parallel AC coupled voltage preamplifiers, one for the high gain and one for the low gain, ensure the read-out of the charge from 160 fC to 320 pC (i.e. from 1 to 2000 photo-electrons with SiPM gain = 10$^{6}$, with a photo-electron to noise ratio of 10). The signal in each of the two preamplifier chains is shaped and the maximum value is captured by activating the peak detector for an adjustable time interval. In this work, we illustrate the peak detector operation mode and, in particular, how this can be used to calibrate the SiPM gain without the need of external light sources. To demonstrate the validity of the method, we also present and discuss some laboratory measurements.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 15th Topical Seminar on Innovative Particle and Radiation Detectors (IPRD19) 14-17 October 2019 Siena, Italy (Submitted to JINST peer review on 05 January 2020