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Background: The H2FPEF and the HFA-PEFF scores have become useful tools to diagnose heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Their accuracy in patients with a history of atrial fibrillation (AF) is less known. This study evaluates the association of these scores with invasive left atrial pressure (LAP) and the additional value of cardiac measures. Methods: This is a multicenter observational prospective study involving patients undergoing ablation of AF. Patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40%, congenital cardiopathy, any severe cardiac valve disease and prosthetic valves were excluded. Elevated filling pressure was defined as a mean LAP ≥15 mmHg. Results: A total of 135 patients were enrolled in the study (mean age 65.2 ± 9.1 years, 32% female, mean LVEF 56.9 ± 7.9%). Patients with H2FPEF ≥ 6 or HFA-PEFF ≥5 had higher values of NTproBNP and more impaired cardiac function. However, neither H2FPEF nor HFA-PEFF score showed a meaningful association with elevated mean LAP (respectively, OR 1.05 [95%CI 0.83–1.34] p = 0.64, and OR 1.09 [95%CI: 0.86–1.39] p = 0.45). The addition of LA indexed minimal volume (LAVi min) improved the ability of the scores (baseline C-statistic 0.51 [95%CI 0.41–0.61] for the H2FPEF score and 0.53 [95%CI 0.43–0.64] for the HFA-PEFF score) to diagnose elevated filling pressure (H2FPEF + LAVi min: C-statistic 0.70 [95%CI 0.60–0.80], p-value = 0.005; HFA-PEFF + LAVi min: C-statistic 0.70 [95%CI 0.60–0.80], p-value = 0.02). Conclusion: In a cohort of patients with a history of AF, the use of the available diagnostic scores did not predict elevated mean LAP. The integration of LAVi min improved the ability to correctly identify elevated filling pressure.

Pioneers of urban sociology Park and Burgess defined the concept of urban neighborhood in this way: "Proximity and neighborly contact are the basis for the simplest and most elementary form of association with which we have to do in the organization of city life [...] The neighborhood is a social unit which, by its clear definition of outline, its inner organic completeness, may be fairly considered as functioning like a social mind. " Emphasis has been highlighted on three fundamental aspects: spatial proximity, recognizability, and autonomy. The intuition of the two pioneers of urban sociology deserves to be tested today after a century characterized by a sequence of shocks that have transformed the face of cities, both exogenous (conflicts, socio-economic transformations, technological revolutions, global economic crises and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic) and endogenous (gentrification, deindustrialization of urban centers, etc.). This paper will explore how the concept of the neighborhood has changed from a sociological point of view over time since Park and Burgess, and will present different types of Milan's neighborhoods subdivision according to administrative definitions as a way to understand this evolution.

In this paper, we present a R script named Beak, built to simulate rates of behavior interacting with schedules of reinforcement. Using Beak, we've simulated data that allows an assessment of different reinforcement feedback functions (RFF). This was made with unparalleled precision, since simulations provide huge samples of data and, more importantly, simulated behavior isn't changed by the reinforcement it produces. Therefore, we can vary it systematically. We've compared different RFF for RI schedules, using as criteria: meaning, precision, parsimony and generality. Our results indicate that the best feedback function for the RI schedule was published by Baum (1981). We also propose that the model used by Killeen (1975) is a viable feedback function for the RDRL schedule. We argue that Beak paves the way for greater understanding of schedules of reinforcement, addressing still open questions about quantitative features of schedules. Also, they could guide future experiments that use schedules as theoretical and methodological tools., Comment: This is a revised version of the manuscript submitted for consideration for publication in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB) in July 6th, 2022. Supplemental material is available under SourceForge at https://sourceforge.net/projects/simpleschedules

Objective: Given that volumes of patients and interventions are important criteria to qualify as a reference centre (RC) for the European Reference Network on Rare Endocrine Conditions (Endo-ERN), the present study aimed to evaluate the data that were reported in the original application against subsequent assessments of activity and review the criteria that may define RCs using two main thematic groups (MTGs): Pituitary and Thyroid, as examples. Methods: Review of content in application forms and continuous monitoring data and of a survey distributed to RCs. A list of 'key procedures' for the assessment of performance of RCs was composed with the help of the Pituitary and Thyroid MTG chairs. Results: In the original application, the number of undefined procedures ranged from 20 to 5500/year (Pituitary) and from 10 to 2700/year (phyroid) between applicants. In the survey, the number of key procedures per centre ranged from 18 to 150/year (Pituitary) and from 20 to 1376/year (Thyroid). The median numbers of new patients reported in the continuous monitoring program were comparable with the application and survey; however, some centres reported large variations. Conclusions: Monitoring of clinical activity in an ERN requires clear definitions that are optimally aligned with clinical practice, diagnosis registration, and hospital IT systems. This is a particular challenge in the rare disease field where the centre may also provide expert input in collaboration with local hospitals. Application of uniform definitions, in addition to condition-specific clinical benchmarks, which can include patient-reported- as well as clinician-reported outcome measures, is urgently needed to allow benchmarking of care across Endo-ERN.

Understanding the drivers of energy and material flows of cities is important for addressing global environmental challenges. Accessing, sharing, and managing energy and material resources is particularly critical for megacities, which face enormous social stresses because of their sheer size and complexity. Here we quantify the energy and material flows through the world's 27 megacities with populations greater than 10 million people as of 2010. Collectively the resource flows through megacities are largely consistent with scaling laws established in the emerging science of cities. Correlations are established for electricity consumption, heating and industrial fuel use, ground transportation energy use, water consumption, waste generation, and steel production in terms of heating-degree-days, urban form, economic activity, and population growth. The results help identify megacities exhibiting high and low levels of consumption and those making efficient use of resources. The correlation between per capita electricity use and urbanized area per capita is shown to be a consequence of gross building floor area per capita, which is found to increase for lower-density cities. Many of the megacities are growing rapidly in population but are growing even faster in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and energy use. In the decade from 2001-2011, electricity use and ground transportation fuel use in megacities grew at approximately half the rate of GDP growth.

Understanding the drivers of energy and material flows of cities is important for addressing global environmental challenges. Accessing, sharing, and managing energy and material resources is particularly critical for megacities, which face enormous social stresses because of their sheer size and complexity. Here we quantify the energy and material flows through the world's 27 megacities with populations greater than 10 million people as of 2010. Collectively the resource flows through megacities are largely consistent with scaling laws established in the emerging science of cities. Correlations are established for electricity consumption, heating and industrial fuel use, ground transportation energy use, water consumption, waste generation, and steel production in terms of heating-degree-days, urban form, economic activity, and population growth. The results help identify megacities exhibiting high and low levels of consumption and those making efficient use of resources. The correlation between per capita electricity use and urbanized area per capita is shown to be a consequence of gross building floor area per capita, which is found to increase for lower-density cities. Many of the megacities are growing rapidly in population but are growing even faster in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and energy use. In the decade from 2001-2011, electricity use and ground transportation fuel use in megacities grew at approximately half the rate of GDP growth.

© 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. Ruminant livestock are important sources of human food and global greenhouse gas emissions. Feed degradation and methane formation by ruminants rely on metabolic interactions between rumen microbes and affect ruminant productivity. Rumen and camelid foregut microbial community composition was determined in 742 samples from 32 animal species and 35 countries, to estimate if this was influenced by diet, host species, or geography. Similar bacteria and archaea dominated in nearly all samples, while protozoal communities were more variable. The dominant bacteria are poorly characterised, but the methanogenic archaea are better known and highly conserved across the world. This universality and limited diversity could make it possible to mitigate methane emissions by developing strategies that target the few dominant methanogens. Differences in microbial community compositions were predominantly attributable to diet, with the host being less influential. There were few strong co-occurrence patterns between microbes, suggesting that major metabolic interactions are non-selective rather than specific.

In this paper the opportunities and tools offered by the new Common Agricultural Policy for young farmers are illustrated and their potential efficacy is discussed, with particular reference to the Italian agricultural sector.

In this paper the opportunities and tools offered by the new Common Agricultural Policy for young farmers are illustrated and their potential efficacy is discussed, with particular reference to the Italian agricultural sector.

We develop a theoretical framework for the calculation of orbits for a system consisting of a spherical object and a non-spherical body, which is then specialized to a prolate ellipsoid. Particular trajectories are presented that illustrate a drastic contrast between the familiar elliptical orbits of spherical binary systems and the trajectories around the prolate spheroid. We also show here, and in a media video representation of the computed orbits, how the spherical satellite instantaneous orbital plane and eccentricity evolve. We also explicitly verify the conservation of the total angular momentum and energy of the system, prolate plus satellite, while the intrinsic rotational angular momentum and energy of the prolate changes with time at the expense of the orbital energy and angular momentum of the sphere. We then consider a particular orbit where an initially bound satellite gains sufficient orbital energy and eventually escapes, with its total energy now positive. The inverse process, where a satellite is captured by a prolate, is also considered, and we determine the probability of this event occurring, as a function of the initial relative velocity and parameter of impact of the system. We end with a discussion of a plausible scenario where an escaping satellite in the Oort cloud could wind up with a new heliocentric Earth`s crossing orbit. In the Appendices we develop the necessary equations for the application of the above formalism to orbits around a general homogeneous ellipsoid., Comment: 28 Pages, 9 Figures

We develop a theoretical framework for the calculation of orbits for a system consisting of a spherical object and a non-spherical body, which is then specialized to a prolate ellipsoid. Particular trajectories are presented that illustrate a drastic contrast between the familiar elliptical orbits of spherical binary systems and the trajectories around the prolate spheroid. We also show here, and in a media video representation of the computed orbits, how the spherical satellite instantaneous orbital plane and eccentricity evolve. We also explicitly verify the conservation of the total angular momentum and energy of the system, prolate plus satellite, while the intrinsic rotational angular momentum and energy of the prolate changes with time at the expense of the orbital energy and angular momentum of the sphere. We then consider a particular orbit where an initially bound satellite gains sufficient orbital energy and eventually escapes, with its total energy now positive. The inverse process, where a satellite is captured by a prolate, is also considered, and we determine the probability of this event occurring, as a function of the initial relative velocity and parameter of impact of the system. We end with a discussion of a plausible scenario where an escaping satellite in the Oort cloud could wind up with a new heliocentric Earth`s crossing orbit. In the Appendices we develop the necessary equations for the application of the above formalism to orbits around a general homogeneous ellipsoid., Comment: 28 Pages, 9 Figures

Today we know that health care is not just the sanitary offer but also by individual behaviors, the environment in which we live and work and public policy (Almeida 2005). The employment status of women should be reviewed from the perspective of organizational change, from the perspective of enhancement of human capital (Piccardo, Colombo 2007). The purpose of this research is to compare men and women who work in public administration in southern Italy with regard to their well being at work and work-related stress. The hypothesis is that there is a significant difference between the two groups and that women have a higher state of stress and more psychological and physical symptoms than men. The group of respondents is composed of 104 subjects. The instrument used is a questionnaire with 169 item that investigates the causes and symptoms of physical and psychological stress caused by work-related. The results confirmed the hypothesis.

The research aims to assess the level of work-related stress of a group of workers in the hospitals of Public Health. The Occupational stress is “All the harmful physical and emotional reactions that occur when work demands are not commensurate with the skills, resources or needs of the worker” (NIOSH, - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). According to the Italian legislative decree of April 9, 2008 No 81, prolonged exposure to stress can reduce the efficiency at work and cause health problems. The objective of this research is to detect the perception of work-related stress by operators that affect the quality of their work in hospitals. The group interviewed is made from 100 subjects aged between 26 and 65 years. The instrument used is a questionnaire with 169 item that assesses mainly two main areas: “the causes of stress“ and “stress symptoms”. The results showed that the causes of stress show an average score, while the symptoms of stress a lower score

The present work aims to address the topic of eating disorders, from an innovative perspective. In fact, based on the case of the Centre “G. Gioia “Chiaromonte (PZ), (regional reference center of excellence), we investigates the influences that may have at the end of a long course of treatment, the external setting and internal setting. The methodological approach used is an integrated quality and quantity. In order not to lose any emotional nuance was chosen as a tool, open plan to the letter. The group of subjects consists of 90 girls aged between 13 and 50 years. On reports of the letters, was applied an analysis technique called multidimensional analysis of lexical correspondences (ACL) (Ercolani, Mannetti e Areni, 1990). Extracted factors were considered the first two, which together explain 77.30% of the total. The results show that the external setting, the setting and internal relations with the staff of the Centre, are considered by the patients themselves part of certain course of treatment.

Curtis Triplitt, Eugenio Cersosimo, Ralph A DeFronzoDiabetes Division, Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and the Texas Diabetes Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USAAbstract: Insulin resistance and islet (beta and alpha) cell dysfunction are major pathophysiologic abnormalities in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Pioglitazone is a potent insulin sensitizer, improves pancreatic beta cell function and has been shown in several outcome trials to lower the risk of atherosclerotic and cardiovascular events. Glucagon-like peptide-1 deficiency/resistance contributes to islet cell dysfunction by impairing insulin secretion and increasing glucagon secretion. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors improve pancreatic islet function by augmenting glucose-dependent insulin secretion and decreasing elevated plasma glucagon levels. Alogliptin is a new DPP-4 inhibitor that reduces glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), is weight neutral, has an excellent safety profile, and can be used in combination with oral agents and insulin. Alogliptin has a low risk of hypoglycemia, and serious adverse events are uncommon. An alogliptin–pioglitazone combination is advantageous because it addresses both insulin resistance and islet dysfunction in T2DM. HbA1c reductions are significantly greater than with either monotherapy. This once-daily oral combination medication does not increase the risk of hypoglycemia, and tolerability and discontinuation rates do not differ significantly from either monotherapy. Importantly, measures of beta cell function and health are improved beyond that observed with either monotherapy, potentially improving durability of HbA1c reduction. The alogliptin–pioglitazone combination represents a pathophysiologically sound treatment of T2DM.Keywords: diabetes, pioglitazone, incretins, DPP-4 inhibitors, alogliptin

The starting point of this research is the awareness of the need for full committment of all the social actors to the implementation in Italy of Decree Law 22/97, transposing the European Union Directives on waste disposal. The research aims at understanding the relationship between quality of the service offered and citizens’ sensibility about the segregated waste collection process. The sample is drawn from citizens living in Sicily, in Southern Italy. According to the official data, in fact, the percentage of citizens engaged in segregated waste collection is lower in Central and Southern Italy than in North (A.T.O. Ambiente CL1, 2007). A questionnaire was purposely created; it uses a 5 point- Likert scale and has two sections: the first one aims at investigating into perceived quality of the offered services, the second one aims at defining individuals’ attitudes towards segregated waste collection (Mannetti, Pierro, Livi, 2004).

This report documents the process, analysis of alternatives and decisions made by an undergraduate team from the University of Missouri-Columbia in designing a radio controlled (RC) aircraft to perform a specific sensor related mission in the 43rd AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference Student Design Challenge. The challenge was to design an integrated propulsion and power system capable of sustaining flight for video surveillance of ground targets while generating additional power to drive a power consuming device Aircraft design constraints included a single propeller vehicle with a maximum take-off weight of 15 lbs; a commercially available airframe with wing span 80-82 in. and fuselage length 62-67 in; a power consuming device with a 28 volt input and integrated into the airframe or mounted externally on the airframe. The amount of power consumption and degree of continuous video surveillance were measures of merit for the design challenge., Design report for the AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference Student Design Challenge flying competition held 14 June 2007. The original document contains color images. All DTIC reproductions will be in black and white. Proposal no. 07-NA-245.

BVRI light curves are presented for 27 Type Ia supernovae discovered during the course of the Calan/Tololo Survey and for two other SNe Ia observed during the same period. Estimates of the maximum light magnitudes in the B, V, and I bands and the initial decline rate parameter m15(B) are also given.