Synthetic torpor protects rats from exposure to accelerated heavy ions

Hibernation or torpor is considered a possible tool to protect astronauts from the deleterious effects of space radiation that contains high-energy heavy ions. We induced synthetic torpor in rats by injecting adenosine 5′-monophosphate monohydrate (5′-AMP) i.p. and maintaining in low ambient temperature room (+ 16 °C) for 6 h immediately after total body irradiation (TBI) with accelerated carbon ions (C-ions). The 5′-AMP treatment in combination with low ambient temperature reduced skin temperature and increased survival following 8 Gy C-ion irradiation compared to saline-injected animals. Analysis of the histology of the brain, liver and lungs showed that 5′-AMP treatment following 2 Gy TBI reduced activated microglia, Iba1 positive cells in the brain, apoptotic cells in the liver, and damage to the lungs, suggesting that synthetic torpor spares tissues from energetic ion radiation. The application of 5′-AMP in combination with either hypoxia or low temperature environment for six hours following irradiation of rat retinal pigment epithelial cells delays DNA repair and suppresses the radiation-induced mitotic catastrophe compared to control cells. We conclude that synthetic torpor protects animals from cosmic ray-simulated radiation and the mechanism involves both hypothermia and hypoxia

Why High-Performance Modelling and Simulation for Big Data Applications Matters

Modelling and Simulation (M&S) offer adequate abstractions to manage the complexity of analysing big data in scientific and engineering domains. Unfortunately, big data problems are often not easily amenable to efficient and effective use of High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities and technologies. Furthermore, M&S communities typically lack the detailed expertise required to exploit the full potential of HPC solutions while HPC specialists may not be fully aware of specific modelling and simulation requirements and applications. The COST Action IC1406 High-Performance Modelling and Simulation for Big Data Applications has created a strategic framework to foster interaction between M&S experts from various application domains on the one hand and HPC experts on the other hand to develop effective solutions for big data applications. One of the tangible outcomes of the COST Action is a collection of case studies from various computing domains. Each case study brought together both HPC and M&S experts, giving witness of the effective cross-pollination facilitated by the COST Action. In this introductory article we argue why joining forces between M&S and HPC communities is both timely in the big data era and crucial for success in many application domains. Moreover, we provide an overview on the state of the art in the various research areas concerned

Three-row versus two-row circular staplers for left-sided colorectal anastomosis: a propensity score-matched analysis of the iCral 2 and 3 prospective cohorts

Background: Since most anastomoses after left-sided colorectal resections are performed with a circular stapler, any technological change in stapling devices may influence the incidence of anastomotic adverse events. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of a three-row circular stapler on anastomotic leakage and related morbidity after left-sided colorectal resections. Materials and methods: A circular stapled anastomosis was performed in 4255 (50.9%) out of 8359 patients enrolled in two prospective multicenter studies in Italy, and, after exclusion criteria to reduce heterogeneity, 2799 (65.8%) cases were retrospectively analyzed through a 1:1 propensity score-matching model including 20 covariates relative to patient characteristics, to surgery and to perioperative management. Two well-balanced groups of 425 patients each were obtained: group (A) – true population of interest, anastomosis performed with a three-row circular stapler; group (B) – control population, anastomosis performed with a two-row circular stapler. The target of inferences was the average treatment effect in the treated (ATT). The primary endpoints were overall and major anastomotic leakage and overall anastomotic bleeding; the secondary endpoints were overall and major morbidity and mortality rates. The results of multiple logistic regression analyses for the outcomes, including the 20 covariates selected for matching, were presented as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: Group A versus group B showed a significantly lower risk of overall anastomotic leakage (2.1 vs. 6.1%; OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.15–0.73; P = 0.006), major anastomotic leakage (2.1 vs. 5.2%; OR 0.39; 95% CI 0.17–0.87; P = 0.022), and major morbidity (3.5 vs. 6.6% events; OR 0.47; 95% CI 0.24–0.91; P = 0.026). Conclusion: The use of three-row circular staplers independently reduced the risk of anastomotic leakage and related morbidity after left-sided colorectal resection. Twenty-five patients were required to avoid one leakage

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Home-based palliative approach for people with severe multiple sclerosis and their carers: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Preliminary evidence suggests that palliative care may be useful for people with severe multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a home-based palliative approach (HPA) for people with severe MS and their carers. Methods/design: This is a single-blind randomized controlled trial with a nested qualitative study. Seventy-five severe MS-carer dyads are being randomized (at three centers, one in each area of Italy) to HPA or usual care (UC) in a 2:1 ratio. Each center has a specially trained team consisting of four professionals (physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker). The team makes a comprehensive assessment of the needs of the dyads. HPA content is then agreed on, discussed with the patient's caring physician, and delivered over six months. The intervention is not intended to replace existing services. At later visits, the team checks the HPA delivery and reviews/modifies it as necessary. Discussion: The results of our study will show whether the HPA is feasible and beneficial to people with severe MS and their carers living in the three Italian geographic areas. The nested qualitative study will add to the understanding of the strengths and limitations of the intervention

Proceedings of the Fifth Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics CLiC-it 2018

On behalf of the Program Committee, a very warm welcome to the Fifth Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics (CLiC-­‐it 2018). This edition of the conference is held in Torino. The conference is locally organised by the University of Torino and hosted into its prestigious main lecture hall “Cavallerizza Reale”. The CLiC-­‐it conference series is an initiative of the Italian Association for Computational Linguistics (AILC) which, after five years of activity, has clearly established itself as the premier national forum for research and development in the fields of Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing, where leading researchers and practitioners from academia and industry meet to share their research results, experiences, and challenges

Efficient evaluation of process stability in milling with Spindle Speed Variation by using the Chebyshev Collocation Method

Chatter is a vibrational problem affecting machining operations, which may cause bad surface quality and damages to the machining system. In recent decades, several techniques for avoiding chatter onset were developed. Among other techniques, the continuous modulation of spindle speed during the cutting process (also called Spindle Speed Variation – SSV) has been demonstrated to be very effective for reducing the chance of chatter onset. However, spindle speed modulation parameters should be adequately chosen before machining, in order to effectively increase the material removal rate. In this perspective, chatter prediction algorithms play a crucial role, since they allow a preventive evaluation of process stability for any given spindle speed regime. State of the art algorithms for chatter prediction in milling with SSV are characterized by extremely long computation times, hindering their practical application in industry. In this paper, an innovative and fast algorithm for chatter prediction in milling with SSV, based on the Chebyshev Collocation Method, is presented. The algorithm was successfully compared with a state of the art algorithm – the Semi Discretization Method – in different experimental configurations and cutting conditions. The results showed that the new method is generally more accurate and from ten to one thousand times faster than the Semi Discretization Method

Understanding ProbLog as probabilistic argumentation

ProbLog is a popular probabilistic logic programming language and tool, widely used for applications requiring to deal with inherent uncertainties in structured domains. In this paper we study some connections between ProbLog and a variant of another well-known formalism combining symbolic reasoning and reasoning under uncertainty, namely probabilistic argumentation. Specifically, we show that ProbLog is an instance of a form of Probabilistic Abstract Argumentation (PAA) under the constellation approach, which builds upon Assumption-Based Argumentation (ABA). The connections pave the way towards equipping ProbLog with a variety of alternative semantics, inherited from PAA/PABA, as well as obtaining novel argumentation semantics for PAA/PABA, leveraging on existing connections between ProbLog and argumentation. Moreover, the connections pave the way towards novel forms of argumentative explanations for ProbLog’s outputs

Efficient evaluation of process stability in milling with Spindle Speed Variation by using the Chebyshev Collocation Method

Chatter is a vibrational problem affecting machining operations, which may cause bad surface quality and damages to the machining system. In recent decades, several techniques for avoiding chatter onset were developed. Among other techniques, the continuous modulation of spindle speed during the cutting process (also called Spindle Speed Variation - SSV) has been demonstrated to be very effective for reducing the chance of chatter onset. However, spindle speed modulation parameters should be adequately chosen before machining, in order to effectively increase the material removal rate. In this perspective, chatter prediction algorithms play a crucial role, since they allow a preventive evaluation of process stability for any given spindle speed regime. State of the art algorithms for chatter prediction in milling with SSV are characterized by extremely long computation times, hindering their practical application in industry. In this paper, an innovative and fast algorithm for chatter prediction in milling with SSV, based on the Chebyshev Collocation Method, is presented. The algorithm was successfully compared with a state of the art algorithm - the Semi Discretization Method - in different experimental configurations and cutting conditions. The results showed that the new method is generally more accurate and from ten to one thousand times faster than the Semi Discretization Method