Pituitary Macroadenoma and Severe Hypothyroidism: The Link between Brain Imaging and Thyroid Function

In case of primary hypothyroidism, reactive pituitary hyperplasia can manifest as pituitary (pseudo) macroadenoma. We report the case of a 12-year-old boy who was evaluated for impaired growth velocity and increased body weight. Because of low insulin-like growth factor 1 levels and poor response to the growth hormone stimulation test, brain magnetic resonance imaging was performed and a pituitary macroadenoma was found. Treatment with levothyroxine was started, and thyroid function was evaluated approximately every 40 days to titrate the dosage. After few months of therapy, the size of the macroadenoma decreased and growth hormone secretion normalized. The pituitary returned to normal size in approximately 5 years. The boy went through puberty spontaneously and reached a normal adult height. In a patient affected by primary hypothyroidism, reactive pituitary hyperplasia can cause growth hormone deficiency; however, growth hormone secretion usually normalizes after starting levothyroxine treatment. Pituitary macroadenoma can be difficult to distinguish from severe pituitary hyperplasia; however, pituitary macroadenomas are rare in childhood, and our clinical case underlines how the hormonal evaluation is essential to achieve a correct diagnosis and prevent unnecessary surgery in a context of pituitary mass

Hilbert's 16th Problem for Quadratic Systems. New Methods Based on a Transformation to the Lienard Equation

Fractionally-quadratic transformations which reduce any two-dimensional quadratic system to the special Lienard equation are introduced. Existence criteria of cycles are obtained

Experimental data and simulations of performance and thermal comfort in a patient room equipped with radiant ceiling panels

Hospitals require the highest energy demands in non-residential buildings. They provide healthcare 24/7/365 and, at the same time, they ensure indoor air quality, thermal comfort and sterility. However, several studies reveal that high indoor temperatures and low relative humidity (RH) are often perceived in patient rooms during the heating season, suggesting an important energy saving potential. Against this background, radiant ceiling panel (RCP) systems result to be one of the most appropriate solutions as they allow to achieve significant energy savings while providing the highest level of thermal and acoustic comfort, as well as of infection control. In the present study the microclimatic survey of a patient room at Maggiore Hospital in Bologna, Italy, equipped with an air conditioning system integrated with RCP, has reported occupant thermal discomfort. Experimental data were used to calibrate a building model and dynamic building energy simulations were carried out to analyse indoor air temperature, relative humidity, predicted mean vote (PMV) and predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) indexes under different inlet air temperatures, to identify the best design conditions for energy efficiency and thermal comfort improvement. It was found that the highest advantages can be obtained when neutral air is supplied

Beyond variability: Subjective timing and the neurophysiology of motor cognition.

Movement simulation helps increasing the chances to reach goals. A cognitive task used to study the neuro-behavioral aspects of movement simulation is mental rotation: people mentally re-orient rotated pictures of hands. However, the involvement of the primary motor cortex (M1) in mental rotation is largely controversial. Such inconsistency could arise from potential methodological flaws in experimental procedures and data analysis. In particular, until now, the timing of M1 activity has been computed in absolute terms: from the onset of mental rotation (onset-locked), neglecting intra- and inter-subject variability. A novel phase-locked approach is introduced to synchronize the same phases of cognitive processing among different subjects and sessions. This approach was validated in the particular case of corticospinal excitability of the motor cortex during mental rotation. We identified the relative time-windows during which the excitability of M1 is effector-specifically modulated by different features of mental rotation. These time windows correspond to the 55%-85% of the subjective timing. In sum, (i) we introduce a new method to study the neurophysiology of motor cognition, and (ii) validating this method, we shed new light on the involvement of M1 in movement simulation

Spin-dependent direct gap emission in tensile-strained Ge films on Si substrates

The circular polarization of direct gap emission of Ge is studied in optically-excited tensile-strained Ge-on-Si heterostructures as a function of doping and temperature. Owing to the spin-dependent optical selection rules, the radiative recombinations involving strain-split light (cG-LH) and heavy hole (cG-HH) bands are unambiguously resolved. The fundamental cG-LH transition is found to have a low temperature circular polarization degree of about 85% despite an off-resonance excitation of more than 300 meV. By photoluminescence (PL) measurements and tight binding calculations we show that this exceptionally high value is due to the peculiar energy dependence of the optically-induced electron spin population. Finally, our observation of the direct gap doublet clarifies that the light hole contribution, previously considered to be negligible, can dominate the room temperature PL even at low tensile strain values of about 0.2%

Molecular Fe, CO and Ni carbide carbonyl clusters and Nanoclusters†

The present minireview highlights the work of our group on Fe, Co and Ni carbide carbonyl clusters and nanoclusters, placing it in the context of the recent literature. After a brief introduction, Section 2 gives a short summary on the general features of molecular carbide carbonyl clusters. Then, specific examples of Fe, Co and Ni carbide carbonyl clusters are presented in the following three Sections. Each Section includes both homometallic and heterometallic clusters, as well as discussion of some of their most relevant chemical, electrochemical, structural and physical properties. General conclusions are outlined in Section 6

Closure theorems for orientor fields and weak convergence

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46195/1/205_2004_Article_BF00250438.pd

A framework to characterize multi-actor sustainability-oriented innovations in the agri-food context

Sustainability oriented innovation (SOIs) are multi-faceted types of innovation which can address the challenges of the agri-food industry, tapping knowledge into a diverse set of stakeholders with their areas of expertise. There is currently a lack of conceptualization of all the relevant aspects to discriminate among different SOIs, also in terms of type of stakeholders involved and their roles in the innovation development process. We propose a conceptual framework based on three levels of analysis: process, value network and maturity of the innovation system to guide the characterization of SOIs. We obtain confirmatory evidence from 11 pilot projects in Europ

Towards an integrated model to explain the factors affecting collaborative innovation processes – insights from the agrifood sector

This study explores the relevant factors to involve multiple actors who develop and implement new technologies to build sustainable agrifood systems. By examining 11 cases, we found that technological, organization, environmental, behavioural and interorganizational factors (all mentioned in current literature) as well as collaborative business models (not mentioned in current literature) affect such initiatives. Based on this, we propose an integrated model. The agrifood sector is one of the first sectors in which a collaborative transition unfolds. As other sectors are likely to undergo similar transitions in the near future, lessons learnt from the agrifood sector can guide these transitions

COLLABORATIVE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPES IN THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR

Farmers are put under pressure to produce more and higher quality food at a lower cost in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner. However, farmers might struggle to benefit from implementing socially and environmentally sustainable practices. Collaborative sustainable business models (CSBMs) offer a promising avenue to overcome these struggles by developing a value creation and value delivery systems together with other value chain actors instead of by the farmer independently. Based on the analysis of the CSBMs of 290 sustainable agri-food start-ups and thirteen interviews, we identify six CSBM archetypes and twelve CSBM sub-archetypes. The developed archetypes provide practical guidance and stimulates thinking for practitioners who can mimic the archetypes within their own organizations and value chains. The practical relevance is highlighted by the use of the CSBM archetypes in twenty-six value chains in a Horizon2020 research project. In terms of theoretical relevance, this research adds a new perspective to (sustainable) business model literature and the archetypes can serve as a reference point for future research