Investment, insurance and weather shocks: Evidence from Cambodia

The livelihoods of poor people in developing countries are increasingly dependent on weather shocks whose effects are exacerbated by the lack of access to adequate insurance markets allowing risk hedging. Index-based insurance underwrites a weather risk as a proxy for economic loss: when the index falls below a certain level, farmers automatically get a payment. The aim of this paper is to study the impact of an Index-based insurance on investment decisions in profitable but risky inputs in presence of weather shocks by means of an incentivized lab-in-the-field experiment conducted in Cambodia. The protocol is designed so as to study the extent to which investment decisions change under risk or ambiguity, for different levels of initial wealth, under contract nonperformance (i.e., when claims are not repaid by the insurer) and when the insurance is fully subsidized. The findings indicate that, while the mere presence of a market for insurance increases investment, the strength of the effect crucially depends upon the level of initial wealth and upon the subjects' ability to correctly assess the probability of a shock

Nanotechnology-Assisted Cell Tracking

The usefulness of nanoparticles (NPs) in the diagnostic and/or therapeutic sector is derived from their aptitude for navigating intra-and extracellular barriers successfully and to be spatiotemporally targeted. In this context, the optimization of NP delivery platforms is technologically related to the exploitation of the mechanisms involved in the NP–cell interaction. This review provides a detailed overview of the available technologies focusing on cell–NP interaction/detection by describing their applications in the fields of cancer and regenerative medicine. Specifically, a literature survey has been performed to analyze the key nanocarrier-impacting elements, such as NP typology and functionalization, the ability to tune cell interaction mechanisms under in vitro and in vivo conditions by framing, and at the same time, the imaging devices supporting NP delivery assessment, and consideration of their specificity and sensitivity. Although the large amount of literature information on the designs and applications of cell membrane-coated NPs has reached the extent at which it could be considered a mature branch of nanomedicine ready to be translated to the clinic, the technology applied to the biomimetic functionalization strategy of the design of NPs for directing cell labelling and intracellular retention appears less advanced. These approaches, if properly scaled up, will present diverse biomedical applications and make a positive impact on human health

Use of Telemedicine Healthcare Systems in Children and Adolescents with Chronic Disease or in Transition Stages of Life: Consensus Document of the Italian Society of Telemedicine (SIT), of the Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics (SIPPS), of the Italian Society of Pediatric Primary Care (SICuPP), of the Italian Federation of Pediatric Doctors (FIMP) and of the Syndicate of Family Pediatrician Doctors (SIMPeF)

Telemedicine is considered an excellent tool to support the daily and traditional practice of the health profession, especially when referring to the care and management of chronic patients. In a panorama in which chronic pathologies with childhood onset are constantly increasing and the improvement of treatments has allowed survival for them into adulthood, telemedicine and remote assistance are today considered effective and convenient solutions both for the chronic patient, who thus receives personalized and timely assistance, and for the doctors, who reduce the need for direct intervention, hospitalizations and consequent management costs. This Consensus document, written by the main Italian Scientific Societies involved in the use of telemedicine in pediatrics, has the objectives to propose an organizational model based on the relationships between the actors who participate in the provision of a telemedicine service aimed at minors with chronic pathologies, identifying specific project links between the areas of telemedicine in the developmental age from the first 1000 days of life to the age adult. The future scenario will have to be able to integrate digital innovation in order to offer the best care to patients and citizens. It will have to be able to provide the involvement of patients from the very beginning of the design of any care pathway, increasing where possible the proximity of the health service to citizens

Action of MK‐7264 (Gefapixant) at human P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptors and in vivo efficacy in models of sensitisation

Background & Purpose The P2X3 receptor is an ATP‐gated ion channel expressed by sensory afferent neurons, and is as a target to treat chronic sensitisation conditions. The first‐in‐class, selective P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptor antagonist, the diaminopyrimidine MK‐7264 (Gefapixant), has progressed to Phase III trials for refractory or unexplained chronic cough. We have used patch‐clamp to elucidate the pharmacology and kinetics of MK‐7264 and rat models of hypersensitivity and hyperalgesia to test efficacy in these conditions. Experimental Approach Whole‐cell patch‐clamp of 1321N1 cells expressing human P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptors was used to determine mode of MK‐7264 action, potency and kinetics. The analgesic efficacy was assessed using paw withdrawal threshold and limb weight distribution in rat models of inflammatory, osteoarthritic and neuropathic sensitisation. Key Results MK‐7264 is a reversible allosteric antagonist at human P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptors with IC50 values of 153 and 220nM, respectively. Experiments with the slowly desensitising P2X2/3 heteromer revealed concentration and state‐dependency to wash‐on, with faster rates and greater inhibition when applied before agonist compared to during agonist application. Wash‐on rate (τ value) for MK‐7264 at maximal concentrations was 19s and 146s when applied before and during agonist application, respectively. In vivo, MK‐7264 (30 mg/kg) displayed efficacy comparable to naproxen (20 mg/kg) in inflammatory and osteoarthritic sensitisation models, and gabapentin (100 mg/kg) in neuropathic sensitisation models, increasing paw withdrawal threshold and decreasing weight bearing discomfort. Conclusions and Implications MK‐7264 is a reversible and selective P2X3 and P2X2/3 antagonist, exerting allosteric antagonism via preferential activity at closed channels. Efficacy in rat models supports clinical investigation of chronic sensitisation conditions

Control Issues in MV Distribution Systems with Large-scale Integration of Distributed Generation

In this work an overview of the problems and challenges posed on the distribution networks by this new scenario is given together with a description of the possible provisions and control strategies which may be adopted in the medium and long term in order to achieve the necessary levels for a safe, economical and sustainable network operation. Becoming the distribution system an \u201cActive Network\u201d, it requires several control actions whose necessity and complexity depend on the degree of DG penetration and on the adopted grid structure (i.e.: radial, doubly fed ridge-lines, meshed, microgrids, etc.). In order to identify such \u201cControl Actions\u201d, defining them as those actions aimed at mitigating the internal and external disturbances that could modify the desired set point of the generators, it is necessary to foresee provisions on both frequency (i.e.: smoothing of electromechanical transients) and voltage (i.e.: volt-VAr regulation at each network bus). In fact, the existing distribution systems and components may pose a severe limitation to the diffusion of distributed generation. First of all the protection systems must be suitably adapted or re-designed in order to face with the variations of short circuit currents and different intervention requirements

Co-ordinated Voltage Regulation in Distribution Networks with Embedded Generation

The control principle is based on the fact that in radial passive distribution networks, with known load demand and location, the mean network voltage is strictly related to the amount of P and Q flowing through the primary substation transformer. The basic idea is thus to delegate to a centralised controller the task of modulating the reactive power transit through the transformer in order to maintain a desired power factor and thus to contain the level of the transit current required to satisfy the network active load demand. The reactive power regulation is subsequently assigned to the DGs, which are forced by their local regulators to inject power with a given reference cosfi whose value is determined and communicated by the centralised controller (thus actuating a sort of secondary reactive regulation of the MV network). The centralised controller is composed by a Master Regulator (which acts directly on the tap changer of the HV/MV substation transformer in order to maintain a desired power factor) and an array of Secondary Regulators (one for each feeder, which determine the power factor set points to be communicated to the DGs). The performance of the proposed control scheme has been tested on a case study network embedding distributed generation of various nature and size. Simulation results and details on the data exchange needs for performing the co-ordinated voltage regulation will be presented in the paper

A Driver-to-Infrastructure Interaction System for Motorcycles based on Smartphone

This paper concerns the definition and implementation of an interaction system for motorcycles. The system is a vehicle-to-driver communication system and a driver-to-infrastructure communication system, based on a smartphone core and a wireless Bluetooth medium. The system is devoted to increase the safety level of a motorcycle and it is constituted by a vehicle with a CAN bus, a compact embedded electronic implementing a CAN-to-Bluetooth gateway, a smartphone and a Bluetooth helmet. The driver-to-vehicle system is based on an audio interaction located at helmet level. The driver-to-infrastructure is represented by communication via a HTTP protocol. The vocal synthesis, the speech recognition, and the web gateway are resident on the smartphone. This work presents the general hardware and software architecture and some specific web-oriented implementation. An evaluation of the critical aspects of the system is also provided