HyperSpectral Imaging based approach for monitoring of micro-plastics from marine environment

The possibility to develop a sensor based procedure in order to monitor plastic presence in the marine environment was explored in this work. More in detail, this study was addressed to detect and to recognize different types of microplastics coming from sampling in different sea areas adopting a new approach, based on HyperSpectral Imaging (HSI) sensors. Moreover, a morphological and morphometrical particle characterization was carried by digital image processing. Morphological and morphometrical parameters, combined with hyperspectral imaging information, give a full characterization of each investigated particle, concurring to explain all the transportation, alteration and degradation phenomena suffered by each different polymer particle. Obtained results can represent an important starting point to develop, implement and set up monitor strategies to characterize marine microplastics. Moreover, the procedure developed in this work is fast, not expensive and reliable, making its utilization very profitable

Burnout y aspectos laborales del personal de enfermería de dos hospitales de medio portea

Objetivo: identificar a incidência da Síndrome de Burnout (SB) e avaliar sua relação com os aspectos laborais, em profissionais de enfermagem de dois hospitais de médio porte de Cáceres, MT. Método: trata-se de estudo descritivo, transversal, com amostra de 141 sujeitos. Como instrumento de pesquisa utilizou-se um questionário para o delineamento dos aspectos laborais, acrescido do Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Resultados: dos 141 profissionais, 13 apresentaram SB, segundo o MBI. Em relação aos aspectos laborais, os profissionais mais acometidos foram aqueles com regime de trabalho diarista, 30 horas semanais de serviço, contratado, duplo emprego, menor tempo de formação, pouco tempo na unidade e atuantes no setor administrativo. Conclusões: logo, demonstrou-se a presença da SB na amostra, revelando necessidade de se propor mudanças organizacionais no ambiente de trabalho, a fim de diminuir a interferência desses fatores na saúde do trabalhador.Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify the occurrence of Burnout Syndrome (BS) and assess its relationship with different labour-related aspects, among nursing professionals at two medium-sizes hospitals in the city of Cáceres. Method: This is a transversal and descriptive study, with a sample totalling 141 subjects. As an instrument of research, we used a questionnaire for the limitation of labour-related aspects, with the addition of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Results: Out of the 141 professional people considered, 13 had BS, according to the MBI. In relation to the different labour aspects, the professional people most affected were those with: work regime based on pay by the day, a working week of 30 hours, regularly hired, with double employment, lower graduation period, less time spent at the unit, and active in the administrative segment. Conclusions: Hence, there was the demonstration of the presence of BS within the sample, showing the need for the proposal of organisational changes within the working environment so as to reduce these factors and their interference on the health of the worker.Objetivo: Identificar la incidencia de síndrome de Burnout (BS) y evaluar su relación con los aspectos laborales, personal de enfermería de dos hospitales de medio portea de Cáceres. Método: Se trata de un estudio descriptivo, de corte transversal de la muestra de 141 sujetos. Como instrumento de investigación se utilizó un cuestionario para el delineamiento de los aspectos laborales, aumentando del Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Resultados: De los 141 profesionales, 13 presentaron SB según MBI. Con relación con los aspectos laborales los profesionales más acometidos son aquéllos con: régimen de trabajo diarista, 30 horas semanales de servicio, contratado, doble empleo, menor tiempo formación, poco tiempo en la unidad y actuación en el sector administrativo. Conclusiones: Luego, se demostró la presencia de SB en la muestra, revelando necesidad de proponerse cambios organizacionales en el ambiente de trabajo a fin de apocar estos factores interfieren en la salud del trabajador

Entrenamiento de la percepción: Disparador de un Diseño creativo

Durante el 2005 estuve a cargo de la cátedra Taller de Reflexión Artística I, el temario de la misma se ha basado en el desarrollo del arte de los siglos XIX y XX. Este año, 2006, en la cátedra Taller de Reflexión Artística III, el temario comprende desde el Renacimiento al Neoclasicismo y Arte Oriental. Estos talleres tienen como misión algo más que enseñar fundamentos teóricos, se busca lograr una vivencia y concientización que promueva el uso apropiado de los conceptos “aprehendidos” con el fin de ser aplicados a las diversas áreas del diseño

Tratamento médico de risco: direito à saúde x liberdade de escolha

A Constituição Federal de 1988 acolhe a saúde no rol dos direitos sociais como um dos principais aspectos da vida humana, entendida como o bem-estar físico e psíquico, assim como o direito à vida. Desta feita, levanta-se a questão: o paciente (portador de doença grave), inobstante o direito constitucional à saúde, tem autonomia para recursar tratamento médico de risco, alegando a preservação da dignidade? Com base no artigo 15, do Código Civil Brasileiro, “ninguém pode ser obrigado a submeter-se, com risco de vida, a tratamento médico ou a intervenção cirúrgica”. Motivo pelo qual se impõe a segunda questão: até que ponto o direito à vida se sobrepõe ao princípio constitucional da dignidade da pessoa humana? Assim, esta monografia tem como objetivo geral analisar o direito à autonomia dos pacientes em recusar tratamento médico ou intervenção cirúrgica quando se encontrarem em estado terminal ou no fim da vida, aduzindo o princípio da dignidade humana como fundamento, bem como discutir os limites legais da escolha do tratamento médico considerado de risco. Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa, realizada pelo método hipotético-dedutivo, de procedimento técnico bibliográfico, documental e jurisprudencial. Destacam-se, também, os benefícios das diretivas antecipadas de vontade dos pacientes

Impact of a harbour construction on the benthic community of two shallow marine caves

Marine caves are unique and vulnerable habitats, threatened by multiple global and local disturbances. Whilst the effects of climate change on marine caves have already been investigated, no information exists about the effects of local human impacts, such as coastal development, on these habitats. This study investigated the impact of the construction of a touristic harbour on two shallow underwater marine caves in the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean). As a standard methodology for monitoring marine caves does not exist yet, changes over time on the benthic community were assessed adopting two different non-taxonomic descriptors: trophic guilds and growth forms. Harbour construction caused an increase of sediment load within the caves, with a consequent decline of filter feeder organisms. Abundance of small organisms, such as encrusting and flattened sponges, was greatly reduced in comparison to organisms with larger and erect growth forms, such as domed mounds and pedunculated sponges. Our study indicated that growth forms and trophic guilds are effective descriptors for evaluating changes over time in marine caves, and could be easily standardised and applied in monitoring plans. In addition, as the harbour construction impacted differently according to the cave topography, the use of a systematic sampling in different zones of an underwater cave is recommended

Observed and simulated trophic index (TRIX) values for the Adriatic Sea basin

Abstract. The main scope of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive is to achieve good environmental status (GES) of the EU's marine waters by 2020, in order to protect the marine environment more effectively. The trophic index (TRIX) was developed by Vollenweider in 1998 for the coastal area of Emilia-Romagna (northern Adriatic Sea) and was used by the Italian legislation to characterize the trophic state of coastal waters. We compared the TRIX index calculated from in situ data ("in situ TRIX") with the corresponding index simulated with a coupled physics and biogeochemical numerical model ("model TRIX") implemented in the overall Adriatic Sea. The comparison between in situ and simulated data was carried out for a data time series on the Emilia-Romagna coastal strip. This study shows the compatibility of the model with the in situ TRIX and the importance of the length of the time series in order to get robust index estimates. The model TRIX is finally calculated for the whole Adriatic Sea, showing trophic index differences across the Adriatic coastal areas

Analysis and modelling of motility of cell populations with MotoCell

Background Cell motility plays a central role in development, wound-healing and tumour invasion. Cultures of eucariotic cells are a complex system where most cells move according to 'random' patterns, but may also be induced to a more coordinate migration by means of specific stimuli, such as the presence of chemical attractants or the introduction of a mechanical stimulus. Various tools have been developed that work by keeping track of the paths followed by specific objects and by performing statistical analysis on the recorded path data. The available tools include desktop applications or macros running within a commercial package, which address specific aspects of the process. Results An online application, MotoCell, was developed to evaluate the motility of cell populations maintained in various experimental conditions. Statistical analysis of cell behaviour consists of the evaluation of descriptive parameters such as average speed and angle, directional persistence, path vector length, calculated for the whole population as well as for each cell and for each step of the migration; in this way the behaviour of a whole cell population may be assessed as a whole or as a sum of individual entities. The directional movement of objects may be studied by eliminating the modulo effect in circular statistics analysis, able to evaluate linear dispersion coefficient (R) and angular dispersion (S) values together with average angles. A case study is provided where the system is used to characterize motility of RasV12 transformed NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Conclusion Here we describe a comprehensive tool which takes care of all steps in cell motility analysis, including interactive cell tracking, path editing and statistical analysis of cell movement, all within a freely available online service. Although based on a standard web interface, the program is very fast and interactive and is immediately available to a large number of users, while exploiting the web approach in a very effective way. The ability to evaluate the behaviour of single cells allows to draw the attention on specific correlations, such as linearity of movement and deviation from the expected direction. In addition to population statistics, the analysis of single cells allows to group the cells into subpopulations, or even to evaluate the behaviour of each cell with respect to a variable reference, such as the direction of a wound or the position of the closest cell

Ras activated ERK and PI3K pathways differentially affect directional movement of cultured fibroblasts.

Background: Cell migration is essential in physiological and pathological processes, such as wound healing and metastasis formation. Ras involvement in these processes has been extensively demonstrated. This work attempts to characterize Ras regulation of the phenomena determining directional cell migration by separately analyzing the role of its principal effector pathways, MAPK and PI3K. Methods: NIH3T3 and NIHRasV12 fibroblasts were followed in wound healing assays to study, in time and under a directional stimulus, cell migration both under standard conditions and in presence of MAPK and PI3K inhibitors. Several parameters, descriptive of specific aspects of cell motion, were evaluated by coupling dynamic microscopy with quantitative and statistical methods. Quantitative Western Blots coupled with immunofluorescence stainings, were used to evaluate ERK activation. Results: Constitutive RasV12 activation confers to NIH3T3 the ability to close the wound faster. Neither increased cell proliferation nor higher speed explains the accelerated healing, but the increased directional migration drives the wound closure. Inhibition of ERK activation, which occurs immediately after wound, greatly blocks the directional migration, while inhibition of PI3K pathway reduces cell speed but does not prevent wound closure. Conclusion: Ras is greatly involved in determining and regulating directionality, ERK is its key effector for starting, driving and regulating directional movement

Study of the effects of High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) and Pulsed Light (PL) on BSA structure and hydrolysis

Non-thermal technologies, such as High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) and Pulsed light (PL), affect protein inducing modifications in its conformational structure. For this reason the hydrolysis reaction of the protein can be modulated if it is conducted in combination with these technologies which are able to change the availability of peptide bonds exposed to the enzymatic action. The aim is to study the effects of HHP and PL on the structure and the extent of hydrolysis reaction of a target protein: the Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA). BSA protein (5 mg/mL) in sodium phosphate buffer (50 mM, pH = 8) were treated with PL and HHP at different processing conditions, namely pressure level and treatment time in the case of HHP and treatment time and energy input in the case of PL. Structural modification of the protein solutions were analyzed by determining the sulphidrilic groups and the changes of the secondary structure. The effect of the two treatments on the hydrolysis degree (HD) at 37 °C was also evaluated by OPA method. Chymotrypsin and trypsin (E/S ratio = 1/10) were used to hydrolyze the BSA protein solutions. The hydrolysis was carried out in HHP assisted or PL assisted conditions or the protein solutions were treated with HHP or PL processes and immediately after hydrolyzed with the enzymes. Results obtained so far demonstrated that the two technologies tested are able to induce protein modifications and the occurrence and importance of this phenomenon depends on processing parameters causing protein unfolding, namely pressure level and number of pulses. When the maximum protein unfolding is obtained, higher HD values are detected. The highest HD value is obtained in HHP assisted hydrolysis with longer treatment time, and when, before undergoing hydrolysis, the PL treatment is applied to the solution placed at the higher distance from the lamp

Is there a relationship between self-efficacy, disability, pain and sociodemographic characteristics in chronic low back pain? A multicenter retrospective analysis

Background: Pain-related self-efficacy is defined as the beliefs held by people with chronic pain that certain activities can be carried out despite the pain. Poor self-efficacy is an obstacle to the recovery and predicts longterm disability. The aims of this study are to investigate the prevalence of poor pain self-efficacy in Italian subjects with chronic low back pain (LBP), and to inquire the relationships between self-efficacy, disability, pain, and main demographic and clinical characteristics. Methods: A secondary multicenter retrospective analysis was done on 310 outpatients with chronic non-specific LBP. The pain self-efficacy measured with the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), the disability measured with the Roland & Morris Disability Questionnaire, and the pain intensity measured with the Numerical Rating Scale were considered variables to investigate, whereas demographic and clinical variables were considered predictors or potential confounders. A 40/60 PSEQ score was adopted as cut-off to distinguish between good and poor selfefficacy. Results: 199 subjects (64.2% of the sample) showed poor self-efficacy. The odds of having poor self-efficacy appeared significantly related to female gender (OR=1.80, 95%CI [1.12;2.90]; p =0.015) and drugs use (OR=1.68, 95%CI [1.06;2.70]; p=0.029). Significant relationships also emerged between disability and higher age (\u3b2=0.07, 95%CI [0.01; 0.12]; p =0.02), being female (\u3b2=1.80, 95%CI [0.32;3.29]; p=0.018), low educational level (\u3b2= 121.68, 95%CI [ 122.59;-3.29]; p<0.001), higher height (\u3b2= 120.08, 95%CI [ 120.158;-0.002]; p=0.045), pain duration [mos] (\u3b2= 0.01, 95%CI [0.001;0.021]; p=0.041), and drugs use (\u3b2=2.86, 95%CI [1.44;4.27]; p<0.001). The amount of pain appeared significantly related to educational level (\u3b2= 120.47, 95%CI [ 120.76;-0.182]; p <0.001), smoking (\u3b2=0.56, 95%CI [0.09; 1.03]; p=0.021), height (\u3b2= 120.03, 95%CI [ 120.05; 120.002]; p=0.036), and drugs use (\u3b2=0.81, 95%CI [0.399;1.22]; p <0.001). No significant correlation appeared among weight, body mass index, and referred pain neither in relation to self-efficacy, nor in relation to pain/disability. Conclusions: The majority of our sample, composed of Italian people complained of chronic LBP, shows poor selfefficacy. Female gender and drugs use are significantly related to poor self-efficacy, low educational level negatively influences the amount of perceived pain and disability, and older age and smoking are related to disability and pain intensity, respectively. The knowledge of these sociodemographic and clinical characteristics potentially influencing chronic LBP may be useful to address more efforts towards the most negatively impacted subjects, among the entire population complained of chronic LBP