Bs Mixing, DeltaGamma_s and CP Violation

We discuss the results from the Tevatron experiments on mixing and {\sf CP} violation in the $B_s-\bar{B}_s^0$ system, with particular emphasis to the first measurements of the decay width-difference $\Delta\Gamma_s$ and the {\sf CP} violating phase $\beta_s$ using flavor tagging information. We also briefly review the charge asymmetry measurements in semileptonic $B_s$ decays and in $B^\pm \to J/\psi K^\pm$ decays.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Pub. Proceedings of the XLIIIrd Rencontres de Moriond on Electroweak Interactions and Unified Theories, La Thuile, Italy, March 1-8, 200

Viscous corrections to the resistance of nano-junctions: a dispersion relation approach

It is well known that the viscosity of a homogeneous electron liquid diverges in the limits of zero frequency and zero temperature. A nanojunction breaks translational invariance and necessarily cuts off this divergence. However, the estimate of the ensuing viscosity is far from trivial. Here, we propose an approach based on a Kramers-Kr\"onig dispersion relation, which connects the zero-frequency viscosity, $\eta(0)$, to the high-frequency shear modulus, $\mu_{\infty}$, of the electron liquid via $\eta(0) =\mu_{\infty} \tau$, with $\tau$ the junction-specific momentum relaxation time. By making use of a simple formula derived from time-dependent current-density functional theory we then estimate the many-body contributions to the resistance for an integrable junction potential and find that these viscous effects may be much larger than previously suggested for junctions of low conductance.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Revised versio

Paediatric ambulatory care sensitive hospitalisation and Italian deprivation index. Retrospective multilevel analysis of administrative data from 2008 to 2018 in the Abruzzo Region (Southern Italy)

OBJECTIVES: to estimate and analyse the trend of paediatric hospitalisations for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSCs) from 2008 to 2018 in a region of southern Italy and to assess the association with the socio-economic deprivation index (DI). DESIGN: retrospective observational study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: ACSC hospitalisations in children (<=18 years) were identified. Discharges for ACSC of the Abruzzo Region from 2008 to 2018 were selected and the deprivation index of the municipality of residence was assigned to the hospital discharge record where the patient's residence was reported. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: the rate of paediatric preventable admissions (PPHs) related to ACSC, standardized by age and gender with the direct method, was calculated for the years of observation. The average annual percentage change (AAPC) was calculated with a trend analysis. In addition, the odds ratios (ORs) of hospitalisation for ACSC were calculated using a hierarchical logistic regression model. RESULTS: 252,513 hospitalisations were examined, of which 16,264 (6.4%) attributable to ACSC. During the study period, the hospitalisation rate decreased from 8.59 per 1,000 to 6.12 per 1,000 residents, with an AAPC of -3.7, which was statistically significant (p<0.05). Furthermore, an association was highlighted between hospitalisations related to ACSC and the deprivation of the municipality of residence. Using as a comparison people residing in the municipalities belonging to the first quintile, the least deprived, the strength of the association between PPHs and DI increased from the third quintile (OR 1.13; CI95% 1.02-1.24) up to the fifth quintile, most deprived (OR 1.14; CI95% 1.01-1.30). CONCLUSIONS: paediatric patients residing in Abruzzo have a risk of undergoing a preventable hospitalisation associated with an ACSC which depends on the deprivation index of the municipality of residence. Although it is difficult to evaluate the mechanisms involved in the relationship between economic deprivation and hospitalisation, DI can be useful to identify the areas which are most at risk on which to prioritize public health interventions

Biowaste home composting: Experimental process monitoring and quality control

none5noBecause home composting is a prevention option in managing biowaste at local levels, the objective of the present study was to contribute to the knowledge of the process evolution and compost quality that can be expected and obtained, respectively, in this decentralized option. In this study, organized as the research portion of a provincial project on home composting in the territory of Pesaro-Urbino (Central Italy), four experimental composters were first initiated and temporally monitored. Second, two small sub-sets of selected provincial composters (directly operated by households involved in the project) underwent quality control on their compost products at two different temporal steps. The monitored experimental composters showed overall decreasing profiles versus composting time for moisture, organic carbon, and C/N, as well as overall increasing profiles for electrical conductivity and total nitrogen, which represented qualitative indications of progress in the process. Comparative evaluations of the monitored experimental composters also suggested some interactions in home composting, i.e., high C/N ratios limiting organic matter decomposition rates and final humification levels; high moisture contents restricting the internal temperature regime; nearly horizontal phosphorus and potassium evolutions contributing to limit the rates of increase in electrical conductivity; and prolonged biowaste additions contributing to limit the rate of decrease in moisture. The measures of parametric data variability in the two sub-sets of controlled provincial composters showed decreased variability in moisture, organic carbon, and C/N from the seventh to fifteenth month of home composting, as well as increased variability in electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, and humification rate, which could be considered compatible with the respective nature of decreasing and increasing parameters during composting. The modeled parametric kinetics in the monitored experimental composters, along with the evaluation of the parametric central tendencies in the sub-sets of controlled provincial composters, all indicate that 12–15 months is a suitable duration for the appropriate development of home composting in final and simultaneous compliance with typical reference limits.openFabio TATANO; Giacomo Pagliaro; Paolo Di Giovanni; Enrico Floriani; Filippo ManganiTatano, Fabio; Giacomo, Pagliaro; Paolo Di, Giovanni; Enrico, Floriani; Filippo, Mangan

All-suture anchors in arthroscopic acetabular labral repair: our experience

BACKGROUND: Over the past years, the role of the acetabular labrum in hip joint biomechanics and its relations with joint health has been of particular interest. There is a good clinical improvement of patients in whom the acetabular labrum is preserved during arthroscopic hip surgery. The purpose of this study is to report the results of arthroscopic repair of labral tears at a medium term follow up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of all cases that underwent hip arthroscopy at our Institution from January 2013 until December 2018. There were 24 patients, 13 males and 11 females, and their mean age at the time of surgery was 29, 42 years (range, 19 to 43 years). All patients were treated by the same surgeon with an extracapsular OUT-IN approach. Suture was performed using a non-absorbable suture anchor all-suture. Clinical assessment was performed at December 2019 using a modified Harris hip score (mHHS), hip outcomes score activities of daily living (HOS ADL), hip outcomes score activities of sport scale (HOS SS). All patients with acetabular labrum injury had femoro-acetabular impingement. RESULTS: The mean overall values in the preoperative period were 67.21 \ub1 10.31 for mHHS, 70.04 \ub1 12.11 for HOS-ADL and 60.06 \ub1 14.58 for HOS -SS. The results obtained in the re-evaluations of patients in December 2019 with a mean follow-up of 38, 3 months (minimum 1 year) are on average 82.17 \ub1 11.36 for mHHS, 83.00 \ub1 12.80 for HOS-ADL and 76.09 \ub1 18.52 for HOS-SS. CONCLUSIONS: The progress of knowledge and the advancement of diagnostic and therapeutic skills has led to a greater awareness of the importance of treating acetabular labrum tears. Arthroscopic treatment with suture appear to be a good option for these patients and we had encouraging results in our center

Trend in primary caesarean delivery. A five-year experience in Abruzzo, Italy

Background: Primary caesarean section (PCS) rate is one of the main indicators of quality of care suggested by the Italian Government. Hospital rankings are usually based on it, therefore lower rates reflect more appropriate clinical practice. The aim of this study is to describe a five-year trend of PCS rate in Abruzzo region from 2009 to 2013 and to examine the medical indications for this mode of delivery. Methods: Forty-five thousand one hundred forty-nine deliveries occurring from 2009 to 2013 were collected from all hospital discharge records (HDR) and analyzed. Among them we found 12,542 PCS. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were estimated using logistic regression methods to evaluate the relationship between maternal risk factors and PCS in hospital over 1000 delivery/yrs. Results: The five-year PCS rate was 28.9%, with a decreasing trend from 31.4% in 2009 to 26.1% in 2013. Vasto Civil Hospital shows the lowest PCS rate (17.9% in 2013) among hospitals with a maximum of 1000 deliveries per year, while Pescara Civil Hospital shows the lowest PCS rate (25.4% in 2013) among hospitals with over 1000 deliveries per year. Women with major risk factors for cesarean section delivered more frequently in maternity units over 1000 delivery/yrs. Logistic regression analyses showed as diabetes, hypertension, twin pregnancy, fetal distress and preterm delivery were significant risk factors to deliver in unit over 1000 delivery/yrs. The most frequent (overall 66.6%) discharge diagnosis recorded in Hospital discharge records (HDR) is "Caesarean Delivery Without Indication". 7.3% of PCS made in Abruzzo concerns women living in other Italian regions. 11.4% of PCS contains one of the indications to caesarean section (CS) that the Italian Guidelines consider appropriate. Conclusions: During the analyzed period, Abruzzo showed a decreasing, but still too high, PCS rate, compared to the limits fixed by the Italian Ministry of Health. Considering the limitation of this study, based on administrative data that are poor in clinical information, it is not possible to define the appropriateness of all caesarean sections

Mutual visibility by luminous robots without collisions

We consider the Mutual Visibility problem for anonymous dimensionless robots with obstructed visibility moving in a plane: starting from distinct locations, the robots must reach, without colliding, a configuration where no three of them are collinear. We study this problem in the luminous robots model, in which each robot has a visible light that can assume colors from a fixed set. Among other results, we prove that Mutual Visibility can be solved in SSynch with 2 colors and in ASynch with 3 colors. If an adversary can interrupt and stop a robot moving to its computed destination, Mutual Visibility is still solvable in SSynch with 3 colors and, if the robots agree on the direction of one axis, also in ASynch. As a byproduct, we provide the first obstructed-visibility solutions to two classical problems for oblivious robots: collision-less convergence to a point (also known as near-gathering) and circle formation

A bacia hidrográfica como unidade de estudo no desenvolvimento de um projeto de educação ambiental em uma escola pública de São Carlos, SP.

0 presente trabalho objetivou introduzir em uma Escola da Rede Pública Estadual a discussão de temas ambientais inseridos em Educação Ambiental, incluindo aspectos dos corpos d'agua, poluição, relevo, fauna e flora. A unidade de estudo foi a Microbacia Hidrográfica do Córrego Lazarini, situada na Cidade de São Carlos, área de domínio da Escola Estadual "Professor José Juliano Neto", onde as condições locais apresentam-se ecologicamente alteradas, já com acentuada degradado do solo e poluição dos cursos d'agua, merecendo atenção das autoridades municipais. Na delimitação desta área foi utilizada uma Carta Temática sobre Uso e Ocupação do Solo, Altimetria e Hidrografia, com escala de 1:10.000. Foi possível localizar os bairros, as nascentes que pertencem a malha hídrica e os pontos de coleta de água. Para a análise de água foi utilizado um Kit experimental fornecido pela Universidade de São Paulo, que possibilitou a avaliação dos parâmetros: oxigênio dissolvido, pH, condutividade, compostos nitrogenados (amônia), coliformes fecais, umidade relativa e temperatura. Os resultados das coletas realizadas, confirmaram a hipótese do impacto antrópico na área, indicando que a qualidade da água apresenta-se inadequada para consumo. 0 trabalho serviu como fator de motivação para a consciência, sob a necessidade de cuidados com o meio ambiente

Acute inactivation of the medial forebrain bundle imposes oscillations in the SNr: a challenge for the 6-OHDA model?

It has been recently shown that the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats, under urethane anaesthesia, manifests a prominent low frequency oscillation (LFO) of around 1Hz, synchronized with cortical slow wave activity (SWA). Nevertheless, it is poorly understood whether these electrophysiological alterations are correlated only with severe dopamine depletion or may also play a relevant pathogenetic role in the early stages of the dopamine denervation. Hence, here we recorded SNr single units and electrocorticogram (ECoG) in two models of dopamine denervation: (i) acute dopamine denervated rats, obtained by injection of tetrodotoxin (TTX), (ii) chronic dopamine depleted rats, 2 weeks after 6-OHDA lesioning. Both TTX and 6-OHDA were infused into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). The acute TTX-mediated dopamine depletion caused a fast developing occurrence of a SNr/ECoG coherence, peaking between 0.48 and 1.22 Hz, parallel with a consistent decrease of firing rate (from 22.61 \ub1 7.04 to 15.35 \ub1 9.04 Hz) homolateraly to the infusion. Strikingly, this abnormal 1 Hz synchronization, TTX-mediated was qualitatively similar to the ECoG/SNr synchronization detectable in the 6-OHDA lesioned hemisphere (LH). In addition, TTX infusion in the un-lesioned hemispheres (UH) of 6-OHDA treated rats, produced ECoG/SNr synchronization qualitatively similar to that recordable in the LH. Hence, our data support the proposition that LFO, is tightly correlated to cortex, and represent a critical hallmark of a basal ganglia (BG) failure from the early stages of dopamine denervation

Gli atteggiamenti degli insegnanti di scuola elementare nelle scienze biologico-naturalistiche

This paper stresses the need of coherence between the science teachers training and the emergent constructivist model of science learning