Metodi di valutazione delle pubblicazioni elettroniche stato dell'arte e prospettive

Online access to scientific literature leads to new ways of evaluation. Next to the evaluated literature, new spaces for grey literature have been opened. The process of peer review can become clear and shared. For journals and articles, a new criterion of evaluation based on the number of “motivated” accesses can be made up. However, the pros and cons of these new methods have to be pointed out. This paper is my word in the debate on the objective value of online scholarly publications analysed from the point of view of the user. It is the product of a fruitful collaboration between two university librarians and a professor who has been working for many years in scientific national and international laboratories. They all manage the Biblioteca Digitale of La Sapienza in Rome. What is important is the need to choose sources addressed to users who learn and produce scientific material in a quantitatively and economically detailed way. The argumentation includes the general, but not all-embracing, field of the experimental sciences. The starting point of this work is the need to verify the influence of the digital library on the IF. Did the digital library support or nullify the value of the IF as the evaluation paradigm in order to do better choices while buying? Considering the data, IF seems not enough to evaluate the value of a journal and it has to be implemented with the statistical analysis of the effective use of the journals. In the end, we present schematically a few points and we give a couple of suggestions to the community of librarians and professors which nowadays is working, theoretically and practically, in the management of the digital libraries in Italian scientific institutions

Metodi di valutazione delle pubblicazioni elettroniche stato dell'arte e prospettive

Online access to scientific literature leads to new ways of evaluation. Next to the evaluated literature, new spaces for grey literature have been opened. The process of peer review can become clear and shared. For journals and articles, a new criterion of evaluation based on the number of “motivated” accesses can be made up. However, the pros and cons of these new methods have to be pointed out. This paper is my word in the debate on the objective value of online scholarly publications analysed from the point of view of the user. It is the product of a fruitful collaboration between two university librarians and a professor who has been working for many years in scientific national and international laboratories. They all manage the Biblioteca Digitale of La Sapienza in Rome. What is important is the need to choose sources addressed to users who learn and produce scientific material in a quantitatively and economically detailed way. The argumentation includes the general, but not all-embracing, field of the experimental sciences. The starting point of this work is the need to verify the influence of the digital library on the IF. Did the digital library support or nullify the value of the IF as the evaluation paradigm in order to do better choices while buying? Considering the data, IF seems not enough to evaluate the value of a journal and it has to be implemented with the statistical analysis of the effective use of the journals. In the end, we present schematically a few points and we give a couple of suggestions to the community of librarians and professors which nowadays is working, theoretically and practically, in the management of the digital libraries in Italian scientific institutions

Reworsening of Recurrent Guillain-Barré Syndrome Triggered by COVID-19 Infection

Introduction: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an acute, immune-mediated, generalized polyradiculoneuropathy often triggered by a bacterial or viral infection, vaccination, or surgery. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, some patients were reported with GBS associated COVID-19 infection. Case Presentation: We report, herein, a patient who had a recurrent GBS after forty years. Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) induced improvement, but her condition worsened suddenly after twenty days, coinciding with a COVID-19 infection. A second IVIg cycle was administered, and she improved again. Conclusion: The take-home message is that in the current pandemic, any re-worsening or lack of improvement after appropriate treatment of GBS or possibly other autoimmune neurological diseases must be checked to determine if it is related to COVID-19 infection

Analisi del settore dei veicoli commerciali leggeri in Europa

Indice: Definizione del business - Scenario - Analisi della domanda - Analisi dell'offert

The systemic dimension of success (or failure?) in the use of data and AI during the covid-19 pandemic. A cross-country comparison on contact tracing apps

Durante la pandemia da Covid-19, l’attenzione pubblica si è rivolta alle app di tracciamento dei contatti come possibile soluzione alla diffusione del virus, e molti Paesi si sono mossi in questa direzione. Nel rispetto della protezione dei dati personali, i Paesi dell’UE hanno aderito a una serie di principi fondamentali: volontarietà, interoperabilità, copertura normativa, specificazione dello scopo, minimizzazione, trasparenza, protezione, sicurezza e tempestività. Nonostante i tempestivi sforzi delle politiche pubbliche, le app di tracciamento non sono state un successo in molti Paesi, ed è quindi opportuno aprire una riflessione sull’insuccesso di una politica pubblica che ha sostenuto con decisione l’uso delle tecnologie digitali per scopi di pubblica utilità.During the Covid-19 pandemic, public attention turned to contact tracing apps as a possible solution to the spread of the virus. Many countries have moved in this direction, thereby adopting contact tracing apps while respecting personal data protection. EU countries also adhered to a number of fundamental principles: voluntariness, interoperability, regulatory coverage, purpose specification, minimisation, transparency, protection, security, and timeliness. In spite of timely public policy efforts, tracking apps have not been a success in many countries, and it seems appropriate to open a reflection on the unsuccessfulness of a public policy that has resolutely supported the use of digital technologies for public utility purpose

The systemic dimension of success (or failure?) in the use of data and AI during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-country comparison on contact tracing apps

During the COVID-19 pandemic, public attention turned to contact tracing apps as a possible solution to the spread of the virus. Many countries have moved in this direction, adopting contact tracing apps, while respecting personal data protection and, for EU countries, adhering to a number of fundamental principles: voluntariness, interoperability, regulatory coverage, purpose specification, minimisation, transparency, protection, security, and timeliness. In spite of timely public policy efforts, tracking apps have not been a success in many countries, and today, when their use could be of great importance, it seems appropriate to open a reflection on the success and unsuccessfulness of a public policy that has resolutely supported the use of digital technologies for public utility purposes. This working paper proposes a comparative analysis of nine OECD countries: Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Spain. It outlines the specific factors in each country's public policy that made the use of tracking apps possible, in terms of policy design with respect to: objectives, instruments, public procurement selection criteria, resources and the context in which the policy was implemented. The working paper concludes with three lessons learned from the comparative analysis: the privacy paradox, the choice of a public interest technology, and the systemic interweaving that the implementation of a public policy must take into account to enhance the effectiveness of a public interest action

Contraceptive methods and knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases in nursing students. Results from a survey conducted at the University of Palermo

Background: The main purpose of the study was to evaluatesexual habits, sexual relations and knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among the students in the nursing science course of University of Palermo, and to evaluate the use of contraceptive methods.  Methods: In April 2019, a survey was provided to students who attend daily lessons in the nursing science course of University of Palermo, that investigate primarily about sexual habits, sexual relations and knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases. A multivariable logistic regression was performed.  Results: The sample size consists of 405 students. The average age of the sample is 21.65 years, 69.63% of the interviewees are women. In relation to the question “Do you think you are sufficiently informed to be able to avoid risks of infection from sexually transmitted diseases? No”, the analysis shows that this independent variable is significantly associated with the following independent variables: female gender (aOR 3.11, 95% CI 1.01 - 9.65); “how would you define your knowledge about contraceptive methods? - Poor” (aOR 5.38, 95% CI 1.79 - 16.20); “have you ever received information on sex education and/or sexually transmitted diseases? - No” (aOR 11.59, 95% CI 2.26 - 59.42); “do you know the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination? - yes, but I’m not vaccinated” (aOR 3.09, 95% CI 1.12 - 8.51); “do you know that men can also undergo HPV vaccination? - No” (aOR 2.67, 95% CI 1.01 - 7.04).  Conclusion: Based on our findings, it is necessary to implement sexual education programs for the improvement of knowledge in terms of STIs and the promotion of health. Improving sexual health outcomes for young people is a priority for the public health.&nbsp

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 among nursing students of the University of Palermo: results from an online survey

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices towards SARS-CoV-2 among nursing students of University of Palermo during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: This is cross-sectional study. A survey was provided to all nursing students and consisted of two parts: demographics and Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) survey. A multivariate linear regression model was used and adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) are presented. Results: 575 students were interviewed, and their mean age was 22.29 ± 4.2. The overall score indicates good knowledge (p=0.046) and good practices among the four courses of study (p=0.038). Multivariate linear regression showed that Attitude score (b = -0.29; p = 0.024) and Knowledge score (b = 0.10; p = 0.026) adjusted for age, gender, year of study, perceived economic status, perceived health status were significantly associated with Practice score. Conclusion: Our results suggest that proper health education is useful for encouraging optimistic attitudes and maintaining safe practices among future category of nurses

Bovine leukemia virus detection in Creole Colombian breeds using nested-PCR

Se evaluó la presencia del virus de la leucosis bovina (VLB) en 360 muestras de ADN de ocho razas bovinas criollas: Blanco Orejinegro (BON), Casanareño (CAS), Costeño con Cuernos (CCC), Chino Santandereano (ChS), Caqueteño (CQT), Hartón del Valle (HV), Romosinuano (RS) y San Martinero (SM), dos Razas Sintéticas Colombianas: Lucerna (LUC) y Velásquez (VEL) y dos razas foráneas: Brahmán (B) y Holstein (H). Para la detección del pro-virus se amplificó una región del gen env viral, mediante PCR anidada. La presencia del VLB fue mayor en la raza HV seguido por ChS (83.3% y 60% respectivamente), VEL y LUC tuvieron el mismo porcentaje (50%), en CAS, CCC y CQT la presencia del virus fue de 26.7%, 23.3% y 16.7% respectivamente; no se encontró el virus en BON, SM y RS. En las razas foráneas la presencia fue de 83.3% para H y 6.7% para B. Se encontró dependencia altamente significativa entre la presencia del VLB y la raza, el sexo y región de origen de la muestra. El promedio de presencia en las razas criollas fue menor que en las foráneas, menor en los machos que en las hembras y en la región norte que en el suroccidente y el centro del país.Using 360 DNA samples from eight Creole bovine breeds Blanco Orejinegro (BON), Casanareño (CAS), Costeño con Cuernos (CCC), Chino Santandereano (ChS), Caqueteño (CQT), Hartón del Valle (HV), Romosinuano (RS) and San Martinero (SM), two synthetic Colombian breeds: Lucerna (LUC) and Velásquez (VEL) and two introduced breeds Brahmán (B) and Holstein (H); the presence of Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV) was evaluated through the amplification of a viral gene region env (provirus detection nested-PCR). The percentage of presence and independence test were calculated (X2). Presence of BLV was higher in HV breed, followed by ChS (83.3% and 60% respectively); VEL and LUC breeds showed the same percentage (50%). In CAS, CCC and CQT the presence of virus was 26.7%, 23.3% y 16.7% respectively. On the other hand, no virus presence was found in BON, SM and RS. For the introduced breeds the presence of virus was 83.3% for H and 6.7% for B. The average of presence for Creole bovine breeds was lower than introduced breeds. A high and significant dependence was found between the presence of BLV with breed, sex and sampling places. The presence was lower in males than in females and in the northern part than the southwestern and central areas of the country.Fil: Hernandez Herrera, Darwin Yovanny. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Posso Terranova, Andrés Mauricio. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Benavides, Javier Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Muñoz Flórez, Jaime Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Giovambattista, Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Álvarez Franco, Luz Ángela. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Colombi

Constitutive androstane receptor 1 is constitutively bound to chromatin and ‘primed’ for transactivation in hepatocytes

The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is a xenobiotic sensor expressed in hepatocytes that activates genes involved in drug metabolism, lipid homeostasis, and cell proliferation. Much progress has been made in understanding the mechanism of activation of human CAR by drugs and xenobiotics. However, many aspects of the activation pathway remain to be elucidated. In this report, we have used viral constructs to express human CAR, its splice variants, and mutant CAR forms in hepatocytes from Car-/- mice in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate CAR expression rescued the ability of Car-/- hepatocytes to respond to a wide range of CAR activators including phenobarbital. Additionally, two major splice isoforms of human CAR, CAR2 and CAR3, were inactive with almost all the agents tested. In contrast to the current model of CAR activation, ectopic CAR1 is constitutively localised in the nucleus and is loaded onto Cyp2b10 gene in the absence of an inducing agent. In studies to elucidate the role of threonine T38 in CAR regulation, we found that the T38D mutant was inactive even in the presence of CAR activators. However, the T38A mutant was activated by CAR inducers, showing that T38 is not essential for CAR activation. Also, using the inhibitor erlotinib, we could not confirm a role for the epidermal growth factor receptor in CAR regulation. Our data suggest that CAR is constitutively bound to gene regulatory regions and is regulated by exogenous agents through a mechanism which involves protein phosphorylation in the nucleus