Going Gothic: Spanish Unity and Blame in The Legend of Rodrigo and Florinda

The Legend of Rodrigo and Florinda is used to explain the causes for the successful Muslim invasion of Spain. My dissertation discusses six medieval versions of this legend, three Muslim and three Christian. I trace variations in blame to identify the different strata of society that are described as the corrosive catalysts for the Visigoths\u27 divine punishment. I also analyze each source\u27s presentation of the Visigothic prior to the invasion and examine how they assess the fracture of Spain into smaller kingdoms after the invasion. Identifying the Muslim invasion as a form of divine chastisement inherently includes the idea that once the Christians return to orthodoxy, control of Hispania will be returned to them. This implied rhetoric plays an important but neglected role in the centuries long appeal for Spanish unity and a return to the integral kingdom of the Visigoths

Raumbezogene und multivariate Analyse der Einflussgrößen auf den Weißkleeanteil eines Dauergrünlandstandortes

The relationship between white clover (Trifolium repens), site conditions, species composition and forage quality has been analysed by conducting a factor analysis (incl. varimax rotation) based on data sets sampled along a 50 m grid on a 20 ha permanent grassland site in Central Germany with heterogeneous site conditions, sown in 1998. Three factors which are related to the appearance of white clover has been interpreted, showing a positive relationship of white clover to (A) Lolium perenne on heavy and productive soils, (B) Poa pratensis and Festuca rubra on heavy and stony soils at slopes and ridges and (C) Lolium perenne and weeds on wet soils along the field border, often characterised by sward damage. The white clover factor loadings sometimes are not very strong, depending on complex interactions and a distinct site heterogeneity. Further analysis is in progress

Strategien zur standortspezifischen Grünlandansaat - Retrospektive Analyse von Selektionskriterien

Um Hinweise für eine verbesserte Standortanpassung und damit effizientere Gestaltung von Grünlandansaaten zu erreichen, wurde eine 20 ha große Grünlandfläche mit sehr heterogenen Standorteigenschaften 5 Jahre nach Ansaat untersucht. Im Jahr 2003 erfolgte die Erhebung des Arteninventars und zahlreicher Standortfaktoren an 300 Messpunkten. Zusammen mit bereits vorliegenden Daten erfolgte eine statistische und räumliche Analyse, inwieweit das Vorkommen der angesäten Arten mit der Ausprägung bestimmter Lebensbedingungen in Beziehung steht. Kontinuierliche Beziehungen zwischen einzelnen oder mehreren Standortfaktoren und der Zusammensetzung der Grünlandvegetation bzw. des Auftretens einzelner Arten konnten nicht oder in nur sehr schwacher Form ermittelt werden. Vielmehr wurden eher strikte Grenzen von Standorteigenschaften wie z.B. Nährstoffgehalten ermittelt, jenseits derer sich eine Art in ihrem Vorkommen deutlich unterscheiden ließ. So traten der Rotschwingel (Festuca rubra) und die Wiesenrispe (Poa pratensis) in feuchten bis sehr feuchten und in tonigen beschatteten Bereichen sowie auf einem ausgedehnten Nordhang nicht oder nur in sehr geringen Anteilen auf. Die betroffenen Flächen umfassten beim Rotschwingel ca. 6 ha und bei der Wiesenrispe ca. 4 ha. Dieses Ergebnis führt zu der Frage, ob auf diesen Teilflächen in einer Ansaatmischung auf die genannten Arten hätte verzichtet werden können. Die erzielten Ergebnisse bestätigen die Hypothese, dass eine standortangepasste teilflächenspezifisch durchgeführte Ansaat sinnvoll ist und auch zu einer Ersparnis von Saatgut und damit Kosten führen kann. Für die Entwicklung von teilflächenspezifischen Ansaatempfehlungen sind aber noch zahlreiche Untersuchungen auf anderen Standorten unter verschiedensten Bewirtschaftungssystemen notwendig. Vorerst bleibt daher die Strategie, den Mischungsempfehlungen der Landesinstutionen zu folgen und vor allem eine angepasste Pflege, Nutzung und Düngung durchzuführen, um eine produktive und stabile Grünlandnarbe zu erhalten. Individuelle Anpassungen der Saatstärke einzelner Arten sind in einem begrenzten Rahmen möglich. Hierzu wurden eine Zusammenstellung der Standardmischungen in Deutschland sowie Hinweise zur Ansaatgestaltung mit der Möglichkeit einer einfachen teilflächenspezifischen Anpassung erstellt

Monitoring Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: How Molecular Tools May Drive Therapeutic Approaches

More than 15 years ago, imatinib entered into the clinical practice as a "magic bullet"; from that point on, the prognosis of patients affected by chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) became comparable to that of aged-matched healthy subjects. The aims of treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are for complete hematological response after 3 months of treatment, complete cytogenetic response after 6 months, and a reduction of the molecular disease of at least 3 logs after 12 months. Patients who do not reach their goal can switch to another TKI. Thus, the molecular monitoring of response is the main consideration of management of CML patients. Moreover, cases in deep and persistent molecular response can tempt the physician to interrupt treatment, and this "dream" is possible due to the quantitative PCR. After great international effort, today the BCR-ABL1 expression obtained in each laboratory is standardized and expressed as "international scale." This aim has been reached after the establishment of the EUTOS program (in Europe) and the LabNet network (in Italy), the platforms where biologists meet clinicians. In the field of quantitative PCR, the digital PCR is now a new and promising, sensitive and accurate tool. Some authors reported that digital PCR is able to better classify patients in precise "molecular classes," which could lead to a better identification of those cases that will benefit from the interruption of therapy. In addition, digital PCR can be used to identify a point mutation in the ABL1 domain, mutations that are often responsible for the TKI resistance. In the field of resistance, a prominent role is played by the NGS that enables identification of any mutation in ABL1 domain, even at sub-clonal levels. This manuscript reviews how the molecular tools can lead the management of CML patients, focusing on the more recent technical advances

Resistance to thrombomodulin correlates with liver stiffness in chronic liver disease a prospective single-center cohort study.

INTRODUCTION Chronic liver disease (CLD) is characterized by changes in haemostasis, embracing both hypo- and hypercoagulability. Global hemostatic tests such as thrombin generation assays evaluate the hemostatic balance, to better assess bleeding and thrombotic risks. In addition, procoagulant state in patients with CLD has been demonstrated using modified thrombin generation assays with thrombomodulin, a cofactor for protein C activation. In this study, we prospectively determined thrombin generation and thrombomodulin resistance in patients with CLD staged with liver stiffness measurement (LSM), using both the fully automated analyzer ST Genesia® Thrombin Generation System (STG) and the calibrated automated thrombogram assay (CAT). MATERIALS AND METHODS Demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics, and blood samples were collected from 65 patients with CLD. Liver stiffness was measured by transient elastography, and thrombin generation and thrombomodulin resistance, by STG and CAT. RESULTS Patients were separated based on LSM of <21 and ≥21 kilopascals (kPa). The propagation rate of thrombin generation was higher in patients with LSM ≥21 kPa and the thrombin generation rate increased as LSM increased. In addition, thrombomodulin resistance assessed by STG and CAT was higher in patients with LSM ≥21 kPa. However, ETP inhibition by activated protein C was comparable in patients with LSM <21 and ≥21 kPa. Finally, LSM correlated with most thrombin generation parameters. CONCLUSION The STG automated system may have value in the assessment of patients with chronic liver disease in the routine coagulation laboratory. LSM ≥21 kPa identify a procoagulant phenotype in these patients, including thrombomodulin resistance

Assessment of the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the perceptions of empowerment in midwifery practice scale-revised (PEMS-R-IT) in midwives

Introduction:A higher degree of midwives’ empowerment is associated with greater job satisfaction and better midwifery care outcomes for women and their families. Empowered midwives are able to better empower women who in turn have a positive influence on the midwives’ empowerment. The aim of this study was the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the perceptions of empowerment in midwifery scale-revised (PEMS-R) in a group of Italian midwives.Methods:The World Health Organization (WHO) method was adopted to achieve the PEMS-R Italian version. This process involved five steps: 1) forward translation, 2) expert panel translation, 3) back-translation, 4) pre-testing and cognitive interviewing, and 5) final version. The test’s internal consistency and validity were assessed by following international guidelines. Internal consistency was examined through Cronbach’s alpha (α) coefficient.Results:The PEMS-R-IT was administered to 147 Italian midwives from northern Italy. Factor analysis of the 19 items, extracted 4 factors that explained 74.96% of the variance. The Student’s t-test for independent samples was used to identify a possible correlation between a higher/lower perception of empowerment and: 1) the education level, and 2) the years of experience of recruited midwives. No statistically significant differences were obtained in either case. The PEMS-R-IT was found to have a good internal consistency for each of its 4 subscales.Conclusions:The PEMS-R-IT is a valid and reliable tool, useful to assess midwives’ empowerment. It can be used in both clinical practice and research in order to investigate the level of empowerment of midwives within the Italian national context

Prognostic or predictive value of circulating cytokines and angiogenic factors for initial treatment of multiple myeloma in the GIMEMA MM0305 randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Several new drugs are approved for treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM), but no validated biomarkers are available for the prediction of a clinical outcome. We aimed to establish whether pretreatment blood and bone marrow plasma concentrations of major cytokines and angiogenic factors (CAFs) of patients from a phase 3 trial of a MM treatment could have a prognostic and predictive value in terms of response to therapy and progression-free and overall survival and whether these patients could be stratified for their prognosis. Methods Blood and bone marrow plasma levels of Ang-2, FGF-2, HGF, VEGF, PDGF-β, IL-8, TNF-α, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 were determined at diagnosis in MM patients enrolled in the GIMEMA MM0305 randomized controlled trial by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). These levels were correlated both reciprocally and with the type of therapy and patients’ characteristics and with a group of non-MM patients as controls. Results No significant differences were detected between the blood and bone marrow plasma levels of angiogenic cytokines. A cutoff for each CAF was established. The therapeutic response of patients with blood plasma levels of CAFs lower than the cutoff was better than the response of those with higher levels in terms of percentage of responding patients and quality of response. Conclusion FGF-2, HGF, VEGF, and PDGF-β plasma levels at diagnosis have predictive significance for response to treatment. The stratification of patients based on the levels of CAFs at diagnosis and their variations after therapy is useful to characterize different risk groups concerning outcome and response to therapy. Trial registration Clinical trial information can be found at the following link: NCT0106317