Weighing the impact of ICT on "modular" SMEs

We call "modular firm" a network of small interacting firms, exchanging artifacts (atoms) and information (bits) to accomplish a common goal. In this paper we propose a method to assess how effective is the information exchange among firm modular units. We propose to model a modular firm as a set of units that interact through well-defined channels: structural information together with type, format, and traffic shape are used to weigh the information exchange and the value associated to a given organizational setting

ConvEval: assessing the "convertibility level" of an existing document set

This paper presents a methodology and a tool to compute the overall \u201cconvertibility level\u201d of a document (file) from proprietary formats to open ones. It is based on the decomposition of the document in its objects (e.g. images, tables, etc.) and on the assignment of \u201cconvertibility levels\u201d to different types of objects. This way we can compute a weighted average to (somewhat and a priori) measure the effort and the expected result in the conversion proces

La “smart”-cittadinanza attraverso la compliance dei siti web della Pubblica Amministrazione: il caso di studio dei Comuni italiani

L\u2019Italia \ue8 stata una delle prime nazioni ad includere nel proprio ordinamento una serie di leggi contenenti linee guida per la conformit\ue0 dei portali istituzionali. Il presente articolo espone i risultati di uno studio sullo stato attuale dei siti municipali in termini di accessibilit\ue0, denominazione e distribuzione geografica con l\u2019obiettivo di verificare l\u2019effettivo grado di adozione delle normative vigenti. Le statistiche presentate sono state raccolte in due fasi distinte: in primo luogo i portali comunali sono stati scaricati e validati secondo le specifiche della cosiddetta legge Stanca; in seguito, sono state analizzate le caratteristiche dei nomi di dominio e la localizzazione delle relative risorse. Per quanto riguarda l\u2019accessibilit\ue0, lo studio ha evidenziato un alto tasso di non conformit\ue0 \u2013 solo il 10% del totale dei siti municipali - mentre si sono mostrati promettenti i risultati riguardanti denominazione e localizzazione geografica dei dati comunali.In Italy there are many laws and guidelines that specify a set of compliance rules for municipal websites. This paper presents a survey regarding the accessibility, naming and registration compliance of municipal Web sites to these norms. The study was implemented by: 1) programmatively crawling websites to check the compliance to the WCAG 2.0 guidelines adopted by the Stanca Act; 2) programmatively analyzing naming registration and resolution. The goal is to measure the degree of awareness and adoption of these laws and guidelines by the local administrations. Alas, the results are somewhat disappointing with only 10% of sites compliant to accessibility while more promising in the naming area

Anatomy of Tunga trimamillata Pampiglione et al., 2002 (Insecta, Siphonaptera, Tungidae) and developmental phases of the gravid female

This paper deals with some internal anatomical features observed in histological sections and freshly dissected mounts of Tunga trimamillata, a Siphonaptera recently discovered in Andean regions of Ecuador from several mammals, including man. It was possible to study in males and also non-gravid and gravid females, the location and anatomy of several organs not previously described for this species: the testes, epididymis, ganglia, Malpighian tubules, eyes, rectal ampulla with one of its pads and structures which could be interpreted as midgut diverticula, whose presence has not been recorded in the Siphonaptera. The process of neosomy in the female during pregnancy is illustrated by photographs of the consecutive developmental phases, taken at the stereomicroscope. Furthermore, Some details of the exoskeleton, spermatheca during different phases of pregnancy of the gravid female and the presence of a foreign body (parasite?) within the haemocoel have been displayed in specimens cleared with Hoyer's medium

L'"arcobaleno dei diritti della cittadinanza digitale" alla prova

We live in a society shaped by information and communication technologies, a continuous interplay between what happens in the physical world and what happens online. This inevitably extends the citizenship concept which becomes digital, where rights and obligations are properly declined to meet technology opportunities. These opportunities, however, challenge the very idea of citizenship and the exercise of underlying rights. The authors, along with Leonardo Sonnante, proposed a layerization called \u201cThe rainbow of digital citizenship rights\u201d [De Cindio et al., 2012] to slice all aspects of digital citizenship in conceptual levels. The framework consists of abstraction layers spanning from basic network access up to the highest \u201cright to active involvement in policy-making.\u201d This article describes the framework first application. The authors, with their students (\u201cDigital Citizenship and Technocivism\u201d course) used it to analyze the \u201cPublic consultation on the fundamental principles of the Internet\u201d promoted by the italian Ministry of Education

SURVEY ON V. CHOLERAE, V. VULNIFICUS AND V. PARAHAEMOLYTICUS IN BIVALVE MOLLUSCS OF THE ADRIATIC SEA AND PROPOSAL OF AN ANALYTICAL PROTOCOL

Bivalve molluscs from Adriatic sea were analyzed for V. parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae e V. vulnificus presence. The isolates on TCBS Agar and m-CPC Agar were selected on the basis of a new biochemical screening, that showed a good performance, because among 2344 strains from primary culture only 237 (10%) were presumptively assigned to the species of interest. The PCR analyses was performed for the target genes toxR hlyA, ctxA, tcpI (V. cholerae), toxR, tl, tdh, trh (V. parahaemolyticus), vvhA and viuB (V. vulnificus). Among the 9 strains confirmed to belong to V. parahaemolyticus specie, 6 were sucrose positive. On 215 samples of molluscs only 5 resulted positive for V. parahaemolyticus being toxR+, tl+, although non pathogenic (tdh-, trh-), and none for V. cholerae e V. vulnificus

Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) Arylesterase Activity Levels in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Aim: To review and compare the PON-1 arylesterase activity between coronary artery disease (CAD) and non-CAD patients. Methods: Data were obtained by searching MEDLINE and Scopus for all investigations published between January 1, 2000 and March 1, 2021 comparing PON-1 arylesterase activity between CAD and controls. Results: Twenty studies, based on 5417 patients, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. A random effect model revealed that PON-1 arylesterase activity was significantly lower in the CAD group compared to controls (SMD = -0.587, 95%CI = -0.776 to -0.339, p < 0.0001, I2 = 92.3%). In CAD patients, the PON-1 arylesterase activity was significantly higher among CAD patients without diabetes mellitus (DM) compared to those with diabetes (SMD: 0.235, 95% CI: 0.014 to 0.456, p = 0.03, I2 = 0%). Conclusions: PON-1 activity is significantly lower in CAD patients, and those without DM presented a significantly higher PON-1 arylesterase activity

Use of adipose derived stem cells in Treacher Collins syndrome

Objective: Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare congenital disorder of craniofacial development. TCS occurs with an incidence of 1:50,000, and more than 60% of TCS cases have no previous family history and arise as the result of de novo mutations. The high rate of de novo mutations, together with the extreme variability in the degree to which individuals can be affected, makes the provision of genetic counseling extremely complicated. Consequently, every case of TCS is unique and needs to be assessed individually. Patients with TCS frequently undergo multiple reconstructive surgeries from birth through adulthood, which rarely are fully corrective in the long-term. The nascent field of regenerative medicine offers the promise to improve some of these treatments. In particular, structural fat grafting (SFG) seems to be a good strategy not only to restore the normal volume and contour of the face, but also to provide a source of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) with a multilineage differentiation potential. In this work, we present genetical analyses of ADSC affected by TCS. Materials and methods: ADSCs from were analyzed for their stemness properties and shared many characteristics with those of a healthy subject. Screening of the genome of the TCS patient using array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization allowed us to identify some chromosomal imbalances that are probably associated with TCS. Results: We found that some alterations, involving the TIMELESS gene, were usually associated with embryonic stem cells. Conclusions: With the aim to improve the final results, we need to consider combining knowledge of genetic alterations and expression profiles as a fundamental step before starting with surgical procedures

Performance of Five Serological Tests in the Diagnosis of Visceral and Cryptic Leishmaniasis: A Comparative Study

Introduction: Leishmaniasis is a major health problem and its diagnosis still represents a challenge. Since consistent evidence on the comparison of serological methods is lacking, our work aims to compare five serological tests for the diagnosis of visceral and asymptomatic leishmaniasis in southern France, a region where leishmaniasis is endemic. Methodology: Serum samples from 75 patients living in Nice, France were retrospectively analyzed. They included patients affected by visceral leishmaniasis (VL; n = 25), asymptomatic carriers (AC; n = 25) and negative controls (n = 25). Each sample was tested using two immunochromatographic tests (ICT; IT LEISH® and TruQuick IgG/IgM®), an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and two Western Blotting (WB; LDBio BIORAD® and an in-house method). Results: Diagnosis of VL with IFAT and TruQuick® showed the highest diagnostic performance parameters. IFAT had 100% sensitivity and specificity, while TruQuick had 96% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Finally, the two tests showed high accuracy (100% for IFAT and 98% for TruQuick) for the AC group. WB LDBio® was the only method able to detect Leishmania latent infection, with a sensitivity of 92%, and a specificity of 100%, with a Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of 93%. This performance is reflected in the high accuracy of the test. Conclusions: The data obtained with TruQuick® supports its application in the rapid diagnosis of leishmaniasis in endemic areas, a feature not shown by IFAT despite its high diagnostic performance. Regarding the diagnosis of asymptomatic leishmaniasis, the best results were obtained with WB LDBio®, confirming previous studies

Projeto WHOQOL-OLD: método e resultados de grupos focais no Brasil

OBJECTIVES: Exploring the conditions that allow satisfactory quality of life in old age is an issue of scientific and social relevance. Thus, the objective of the study was to describe a quality of life assessment method for the elderly and present the results from focus groups conducted among old people in good health and ill health, as well as their caregivers. METHODS: The methodology used in the WHOQOL-OLD project is the same as utilized in the development of other WHOQOL modules. Five focus groups were conducted in Brazil. The sampling procedure was done according to convenience. Eighteen old people and five caregivers took part in the focus groups. All the focus groups followed a pre-established methodology. RESULTS: A tendency towards making an association between quality of life and wellbeing and feeling well was observed. The responses spontaneously included the 6 domains proposed in WHOQOL-100, thus corroborating the multidimensional nature of this construction. Nineteen out of the 24 original facets of this instrument were cited as relevant, and the five facets not spontaneously remembered were not concentrated in a single domain. When questioned about the importance of each of the 24 facets of WHOQOL-100, the groups considered all of them to be relevant. However, suggestions for modifications to five facets were made. Additional items were also examined and considered relevant for assessing quality of life among the elderly, by both the old people and the caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: The results corroborate the hypothesis that old people constitute a particular group and, as such, they have relevant specific characteristics. Thus, an appropriate instrument for assessing quality of life among the elderly needs to consider such matters.OBJETIVO: A investigação sobre as condições que permitem uma boa qualidade de vida na velhice é de interesse científico e social. Assim, o estudo objetivou apresentar a metodologia utilizada e os resultados dos grupos focais para avaliação da qualidade de vida do idoso. MÉTODOS: A metodologia do projeto WHOQOL-OLD é a mesma utilizada no desenvolvimento de outros módulos do WHOQOL. Foram realizados cinco grupos focais no Brasil. O método amostral foi o de conveniência. Dezoito idosos e cinco cuidadores participaram dos grupos focais. Todos os grupos obedeceram a uma metodologia pré-estabelecida. RESULTADOS: Observou-se uma tendência de associação entre qualidade de vida e bem-estar ou sentir-se bem. Espontaneamente, as respostas incluíram os seis domínios propostos no WHOQOL-100, reforçando a multidimensionalidade do construto. Das 24 facetas originais, 19 foram citadas como relevantes, sendo que as cinco facetas não espontaneamente lembradas não se centraram em um único domínio. Quando perguntados sobre a importância de cada uma das 24 facetas do WHOQOL-100, os grupos consideraram-nas todas relevantes. Foram sugeridas modificações para serem aplicadas a idosos para cinco facetas. Itens adicionais também foram examinados e considerados relevantes para a avaliação de qualidade de vida em idosos, tanto pelos idosos entrevistados como pelos cuidadores. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados corroboram com a hipótese de que os idosos constituem um grupo particular e, como tal, apresentam especificidades de importante relevância para a qualidade de vida. Assim, um instrumento adequado para a avaliação da qualidade de vida de idosos tem que necessariamente contemplar esses aspectos