Exercise intolerance and fatigue in chronic heart failure: is there a role for group III/IV afferent feedback?

Exercise intolerance and early fatiguability are hallmark symptoms of chronic heart failure. While the malfunction of the heart is certainly the leading cause of chronic heart failure, the patho-physiological mechanisms of exercise intolerance in these patients are more complex, multifactorial and only partially understood. Some evidence points towards a potential role of an exaggerated afferent feedback from group III/IV muscle afferents in the genesis of these symptoms. Overactivity of feedback from these muscle afferents may cause exercise intolerance with a double action: by inducing cardiovascular dysregulation, by reducing motor output and by facilitating the development of central and peripheral fatigue during exercise. Importantly, physical inactivity appears to affect the progression of the syndrome negatively, while physical training can partially counteract this condition. In the present review, the role played by group III/IV afferent feedback in cardiovascular regulation during exercise and exercise-induced muscle fatigue of healthy people and their potential role in inducing exercise intolerance in chronic heart failure patients will be summarised

The logic of identity and copy for computational artefacts

Defining identity for entities is a longstanding logical problem in philosophy, and it has resurfaced in current investigations within the philosophy of technology. The problem has not yet been explored for the philosophy of information, and of Computer Science in particular. This paper provides a logical analysis of identity and copy for computational artefacts. Identity is here understood as the relation holding between an instance of a computational artefact and itself. By contrast, the copy relation holds between two distinct computational artefacts. We distinguish among exact, inexact and approximate copies. We use process algebra to provide suitable formal definitions of these relations, using in particular the notion of bisimulation to define identity and exact copies, and simulation for inexact and approximate copies. Equivalence is unproblematic for identical computational artefacts at each individual time and for inexact copies; we will examine to which extent the formal constraints on identity criteria discussed in the literature are satisfied by our approach. As for inexact and approximate copy, they are intended as a weakening of the identity relation in that equivalence and other constraints on identity are violated. The proposed approach also suggests a computable treatment of identity and copy checking

WARP: A ICN architecture for social data

Social network companies maintain complete visibility and ownership of the data they store. However users should be able to maintain full control over their content. For this purpose, we propose WARP, an architecture based upon Information-Centric Networking (ICN) designs, which expands the scope of the ICN architecture beyond media distribution, to provide data control in social networks. The benefit of our solution lies in the lightweight nature of the protocol and in its layered design. With WARP, data distribution and access policies are enforced on the user side. Data can still be replicated in an ICN fashion but we introduce control channels, named \textit{thread updates}, which ensures that the access to the data is always updated to the latest control policy. WARP decentralizes the social network but still offers APIs so that social network providers can build products and business models on top of WARP. Social applications run directly on the user's device and store their data on the user's \textit{butler} that takes care of encryption and distribution. Moreover, users can still rely on third parties to have high-availability without renouncing their privacy

The Appropriateness Of Selected Inservice Education Practices As Perceived By Secondary School Educators.

The purpose of this study was to determine if differences existed between the perceptions of secondary school teachers and the perceptions of principals regarding the appropriateness of selected inservice education practices in the amelioration of specific instructional difficulties. Ancillary purposes of the investiga·tion were to determine if perceptual differences existed among teachers when they were grouped by experience, sex, and teaching assignment

Non-Abelian orbifolds in string theory

Two dimensional conformal field theories (CFT) play a key role in String theory, in particular they provide a suitable description of dynamics of the string in a given space-time. In this thesis we study 2D conformal theories constructed through toroidal orbifold techniques and arising from superstring compactification on some singular limit of a Calabi-Yau manifold. Orbifolds are one of the main techniques used to construct new two dimensional conformal field theories from known ones. They are obtained by first projecting the CFT on the subsector inva-riant under some finite group of symmetries. In order to obtain a consistent new theory, one is then forced to introduce new sectors (twisted) whose analysis represent the most subtle part of the orbifold construction. In this thesis, we consider orbifolds of the form T 4/G, where T 4 is a four-dimensional torus and G is a finite non-abelian group of discrete symmetries which do not admit a geometric de-scription as isometries of T 4. Torus orbifolds T 4/G may be interpreted as singular limits of Calabi-Yau manifolds of complex dimension two (K3 surfaces). K3 surfaces are the simplest cases of Calabi-Yau manifolds: strings compactifications on K3 have been the background for the first microscopic description in string theory of the Bekenstein-Hawking formula for Black Hole entropy; they are also the framework for one of the most important examples of holographic duality in the AdS/CFT correspondence. Despite these results, generic K3 string models are difficult to describe explicitly: orbifolds T 4/G are some of the few examples where exact computations can be performed. The goal of the thesis is to analyze the main proprieties of orbifolds T 4/G, such as the spectrum, the currents algebra and boundary states, using CFT methods that do not rely on the geometri-cal action of the group G. These methods are then applied to provide the first explicit description of certain examples of T 4/G orbifolds where the group G is non-abelian and/or non-geometric. In particular, we performed explicitly the computation for the group G = 2.A5.ope

Beyond the expectations: a citizens-oriented approach towards local shared services performance assessment

Since the '90s, local governments decided to establish cooperation agreements to share some of their services in a joint effort to achieve economies of scale and scope and to reduce expenses for the benefit of efficiency. Nowadays, service sharing, whether established voluntarily or forcibly, is a widespread strategy in many countries. Despite being so common, though, it generally lacks policies of control and evaluation of its effectiveness. Although new approaches to public administration management suggest focusing on a broader scope of performance (Alvesson and Sandberg 2020, Aldag, Warner and Bel 2020) and citizen's needs-based satisfaction (Dunleavy et al., 2006) rather than on the mere cost, most literature does not yet represent the complexity of the performance of shared services and cooperation agreements at the local level. One aspect of such complexity is represented by the perception of final users of shared services. Citizen satisfaction can be linked to place brand and site attachment, leading to positive citizen behaviour (Zenker and Rütter, 2014), and can throw the foundations for the co-creation of public value (Osborne et al., 2016). The research highlighted how the perceived efficiency of public services could and should be measured through citizen satisfaction, for instance, by employing questionnaires (Kushner and Siegel, 2005; Gutiérrez Rodríguez et al., 2009). Nevertheless, the research conducted so far does not, for the most part, consider users' points of view on shared services. This study aims at understanding the extent to which performance is measured in local shared services and eventually digs to explore the extent to which citizen satisfaction is taken into account as a measure of performance. By employing an inductive approach spread over two international studies and one Italian double-case study, we provide new foundations for further research in the field, new propositions and a research agenda for empirically testing the new theory that emerges from this study. For this purpose, this research is divided into three outputs. First, a critical literature review to summarise the research that has already been done internationally about performance evaluation of municipal shared services, and specifically, the methodology (where existing) for the assessment of the performance of such inter-municipal collaborations, to highlight the gap in this part of literature. The second article goes in-depth into an Italian case study of Unioni di Comuni that can be deemed "successful" since their municipalities share all the services, to understand the drivers of success and formulate a research agenda to better understand which measure of performance future research should consider for assessing the effectiveness of sharing policies. Within the framework provided by the first two studies, the third article dives into the gap that was hereby identified: the use of citizen satisfaction as a measure of the performance of local shared services. Starting from the assumption that most local services are delivered by Arm's Length Bodies, we conduct an explorative study involving local government experts from eleven countries to compile an inventory of the use of citizen satisfaction as a measure of the performance of local services

A Novel null homozygous mutation confirms <i>CACNA2D2</i> as a gene mutated in epileptic encephalopathy

Contribution to epileptic encephalopathy (EE) of mutations in CACNA2D2, encoding α2δ-2 subunit of Voltage Dependent Calcium Channels, is unclear. To date only one CACNA2D2 mutation altering channel functionality has been identified in a single family. In the same family, a rare CELSR3 polymorphism also segregated with disease. Involvement of CACNA2D2 in EE is therefore not confirmed, while that of CELSR3 is questionable. In a patient with epilepsy, dyskinesia, cerebellar atrophy, psychomotor delay and dysmorphic features, offspring to consanguineous parents, we performed whole exome sequencing (WES) for homozygosity mapping and mutation detection. WES identified extended autozygosity on chromosome 3, containing two novel homozygous candidate mutations: c.1295delA (p.Asn432fs) in CACNA2D2 and c.G6407A (p.Gly2136Asp) in CELSR3. Gene prioritization pointed to CACNA2D2 as the most prominent candidate gene. The WES finding in CACNA2D2 resulted to be statistically significant (p = 0.032), unlike that in CELSR3. CACNA2D2 homozygous c.1295delA essentially abolished α2δ-2 expression. In summary, we identified a novel null CACNA2D2 mutation associated to a clinical phenotype strikingly similar to the Cacna2d2 null mouse model. Molecular and statistical analyses together argued in favor of a causal contribution of CACNA2D2 mutations to EE, while suggested that finding in CELSR3, although potentially damaging, is likely incidental

Infringing software property rights : ontological, methodological, and ethical questions

This paper contributes to the computer ethics debate on software ownership protection by examining the ontological, methodological, and ethical problems related to property right infringement that should come prior to any legal discussion. The ontological problem consists in determining precisely what it is for a computer program to be a copy of another one, a largely neglected problem in computer ethics. The methodological problem is defined as the difficulty of deciding whether a given software system is a copy of another system. And the ethical problem corresponds to establishing when a copy constitutes, or does not constitute, a property right infringement. The ontological problem is solved on the logical analysis of abstract machines, and the latter are argued to be the appropriate level of abstraction for software at which the methodological and the ethical problems can be successfully addressed

Explaining Engineered Computing Systems’ Behaviour: the Role of Abstraction and Idealization

This paper addresses the methodological problem of analysing what it is to explain observed behaviours of engineered computing systems (BECS), focusing on the crucial role that abstraction and idealization play in explanations of both correct and incorrect BECS. First, it is argued that an understanding of explanatory requests about observed miscomputations crucially involves reference to the rich background afforded by hierarchies of functional specifications. Second, many explanations concerning incorrect BECS are found to abstract away (and profitably so on account of both relevance and intelligibility of the explanans) from descriptions of physical components and processes of computing systems that one finds below the logic circuit and gate layer of functional specification hierarchies. Third, model-based explanations of both correct and incorrect BECS that are provided in the framework of formal verification methods often involve idealizations. Moreover, a distinction between restrictive and permissive idealizations is introduced and their roles in BECS explanations are analysed

!CHAOS Final Project Report

The !CHAOS project has been devoted to the realization of a prototype of Control as a Service open platform suited for a large number of applications in science, industry and society. The Control Server concept has been introduced to give emphasis to the innovative !CHAOS architecture that is represented by a scalable and distributed cloud-like infrastructure providing the services needed for implementing distributed control and data acquisition systems. The project is based on the results of an R&D initiative promoted by INFN-LNF and INFN-Roma "Tor Vergata", aimed to the development of a new architecture for controls of large experimental infrastructures named !CHAOS (Control system based on Highly Abstracted and Open Structure). To fully profit from this new technologies the control system model has been reconsidered, thus leading to the definition of the new !CHAOS "control service" paradigm. The key features and development strategies of !CHAOS are: • scalability of performances and size • integration of all functionalities • abstraction of services, devices and data • easy and modular customization • extensive data catching for performance boost • use of high-performance internet software technologies. In 2015 the !CHAOS project, partially supported by the CNS5, concluded the activities foreseen by the "Premiale" proposal1. Two main deliverables were scheduled for 2015: firstly the release of an Alpha version in June, as conclusion of the design study of all the tasks planned in the project and the development and integration of its core functionality; secondly the release, by the end of the year, of a Beta version where all the functionalities expected have been developed, integrated, tested and qualified. All deliverables and milestones expected by "Premiale" proposal have been achieved without significant deviations. The project has been demonstrated the feasibility of building a scalable multipurpose controls services provider based on the !CHAOS framework and on the INFN e-infrastructure allowing, with unprecedented flexibility, the monitoring, control and data acquisition, storage and analysis of any sensors, devices and SoS