Scalar radiation from Chameleon-shielded regions

I study the profile of the Chameleon field around a radially pulsating mass. Focusing on the case in which the background (static) Chameleon profile exhibits a thin-shell, I add small perturbations to the source in the form of time-dependent radial pulsations. It is found that the Chameleon field inherits a time-dependence, there is a resultant scalar radiation from the region of the source and the metric outside the spherically symmetric mass is not static. This has several interesting and potentially testable consequences.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, slightly edited version matching the journal versio

The gendering of violent crime: towards a human rights approach

This article reveals the diverse threats violent masculinities pose to human rights, especially females, in view of the idea that 'all things are equal now' between the genders. In the UK the Human Rights Act (1998) has sustained existing safeguards for the mainly male perpetrators of violence, but the needs of some female victims of domestic violence remain unmet. Contemporaneously, mainly female crime victims are vulnerable to violations of their basic human rights. The analysis in this paper identifies and interrogates the negative consequences of the principles of modernisation and six drivers of crime control underpinning government approaches since the late 1990s to dealing with violence against women in the context of general approaches to victimisation. Alongside issues relating to the receding influence of the state our argument is that a human rights-informed approach reveals not only the deficiencies and contradictions of government policy affecting change, but provides a vehicle for embedding a more comprehensive way of safeguarding human rights in practice

Migration and the challenges of Italian multiculturalism

The migration crisis is analysed here in the context of the fundamental challenges which Italy faces through becoming a country of immigration in a period of recession. It is argued that there has been no serious debate in Italy on multiculturalism, or on religious freedom, despite the growing socio-cultural and religious diversity arising from population movements and international conflict. The analysis begins with the Italian government’s attempts in 2015 to deal with migration and diversity, and the associated domestic conflicts at the levels of both party politics and society. This leads to a discussion of the meaning of the Christian/Catholic identity of the country in its changed conditions. The external dimension of Italian politics is examined in terms of both Rome’s impatient calls for EU help and the weak political position of Italy in relation to the root causes of migration, whether through intervention or diplomatic influence

Parent and self-report health-related quality of life measures in young patients with Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by tics and comorbid behavioral problems. This study compared child- and parent-reported quality of life and everyday functioning. We assessed 75 children with Tourette syndrome, of which 42 (56%) had comorbid conditions (obsessive-compulsive disorder = 25; attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder = 6; both comorbidities = 4). All patients completed psychometric instruments, including the Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome-Quality of Life Scale for Children and Adolescents (child report) and the Child Tourette's Syndrome Impairment Scale (parent report). Data were compared for patients with pure Tourette syndrome, Tourette syndrome + obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome + attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Tourette syndrome + both comorbidities. There were no group differences in quality of life. However, there were differences for total, school, and home activities impairment scores. Children and parents may not share similar views about the impact of Tourette syndrome on functioning. The measurement of health-related quality of life in Tourette syndrome is more complex in children than adults

Consecutive Case Series of Melanoma Sentinel Node Biopsy for Lymphoseek Compared to Sulfur Colloids

Introduction: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an important adjunct in the staging of patients with melanoma. Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy (LS) with radiolabeled isotopes is essential to localize sentinel nodes for removal. Our study compared the effectiveness of Lymphoseek to standard sulfur colloids (SC) in patients with melanoma undergoing SLNB. Methods: We queried our IRB-approved melanoma database to identify 370 consecutive patients who underwent SLNB from 2012-2016 with at least one year of follow up. There were 185 patients in each group. Data points included characteristics of the primary melanoma lymphoscintigraphy, and SLNB. Student’s t-test and Chi-Square were used to analyze the data with a p-value of \u3c0.05 being considered significant. Results: Patients were equally matched in regard to age, sex, and primary characteristics of their melanoma. In comparison to SC, Lymphoseek required lower radiation dosages (p\u3c0.001), shorter mapping times (p=0.008), and decreased number of sentinel nodes removed (p=0.03). There was no difference in the number of patients with positive nodes (p=0.5). Additionally, there were no statistical differences between the two radioactive tracers in regard to the number of patients with false negative SLNB. Conclusion: Lymphoseek has the potential to decrease radioactivity and mapping time in patients who need SLNB. With a decrease in the number of nodes removed without loss of sensitivity, there is a potential to avoid unnecessary node removal and thus complications such as lymphedema. Longer follow-up will help to determine if there is any increase in false negative rates despite fewer nodes removed

A 22-Week-Old Fetus with Nager Syndrome and Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia due to a Novel SF3B4 Mutation.

Nager syndrome, or acrofacial dysostosis type 1 (AFD1), is a rare multiple malformation syndrome characterized by hypoplasia of first and second branchial arches derivatives and appendicular anomalies with variable involvement of the radial/axial ray. In 2012, AFD1 has been associated with dominant mutations in SF3B4. We report a 22-week-old fetus with AFD1 associated with diaphragmatic hernia due to a previously unreported SF3B4 mutation (c.35-2A>G). Defective diaphragmatic development is a rare manifestation in AFD1 as it is described in only 2 previous cases, with molecular confirmation in 1 of them. Our molecular finding adds a novel pathogenic splicing variant to the SF3B4 mutational spectrum and contributes to defining its prenatal/fetal phenotype

Near real-time routine for volcano monitoring using infrared satellite data

An Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) routine for hotspot detection and effusion rate estimation (AVHotRR) using AVHRR infrared space-borne images is presented here for the monitoring of active lava flow. AVHotRR uses directly broadcast National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-AVHRR remotely sensed data. The 2006 summit eruption of Mount Etna provided the opportunity to test the products generated by AVHotRR for monitoring purposes. Low spatial and high temporal resolution products can also be used as inputs of flow models to drive numerical simulations of lava-flow paths and thus to provide quantitative hazard assessment and volcanic risk mitigation

Influenza della risposta sismica locale sul non sincronismo del moto in superficie: validazione empirica delle indicazioni normative

Nella progettazione di opere con significativo sviluppo longitudinale delle fondazioni, il moto sismico può avere caratteristiche variabili lungo lo sviluppo della struttura. Le differenze possono essere causate dalla perdita di sincronismo nella propagazione delle onde, dalle disomogeneità e discontinuità del sottosuolo e dalla diversa risposta locale del terreno. Secondo le prescrizioni delle Norme Tecniche per le Costruzioni (D.M. 14/1/2008), la valutazione degli effetti del moto asincrono indotti sulle strutture può essere effettuata combinando gli effetti dinamici con quelli pseudo-statici causati dallo spostamento relativo massimo tra due punti della struttura. Questi ultimi si possono valutare attraverso una relazione che deriva dalla soluzione di un modello analitico di propagazione delle onde sismiche (Nuti & Vanzi, 2005). Obiettivo di questo studio è verificare le regole presenti nelle NTC attraverso il confronto con valori di spostamento relativo derivanti da registrazioni accelerometriche di eventi sismici reali. L’effetto combinato dei fattori sopra menzionati è stato valutato empiricamente attraverso l’analisi del moto sismico in superficie registrato da coppie di stazioni ac-celerometriche, ubicate a distanze dell’ordine delle centinaia di metri, su terreni con caratteristiche lito-stratigrafiche corrispondenti ad un sito di riferimento (classe A della Normativa) e un sito con amplificazio-ne stratigrafica (classi B, C, D). Gli spostamenti relativi, calcolati secondo tre possibili approcci, mostrano che la formulazione analitica suggerita dalla Normativa è appropriata per descrivere la dipendenza degli spo-stamenti relativi dall’accelerazione di riferimento. Gli spostamenti calcolati secondo le prescrizioni di Nor-mativa, inoltre, risultano mediamente maggiori di quelli misurati sperimentalmente

Inhibition of dengue virus replication by novel inhibitors of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and protease activities

Dengue virus (DENV) is the leading mosquito-transmitted viral infection in the world. With more than 390 million new infections annually, and up to 1 million clinical cases with severe disease manifestations, there continues to be a need to develop new antiviral agents against dengue infection. In addition, there is no approved anti-DENV agents for treating DENV-infected patients. In the present study, we identified new compounds with anti-DENV replication activity by targeting viral replication enzymes – NS5, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and NS3 protease, using cell-based reporter assay. Subsequently, we performed an enzyme-based assay to clarify the action of these compounds against DENV RdRp or NS3 protease activity. Moreover, these compounds exhibited anti-DENV activity in vivo in the ICR-suckling DENV-infected mouse model. Combination drug treatment exhibited a synergistic inhibition of DENV replication. These results describe novel prototypical small anti-DENV molecules for further development through compound modification and provide potential antivirals for treating DENV infection and DENV-related diseases