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Epilepsy is a severe and common neurological disease that causes sudden and irregular seizures, necessitating patient-specific detection models for effective management. The proposed methodology, Epilepsy Tracking META-Set Analysis, establishes portability rules that identify similar patients, enabling the transfer of these detection models from one patient to another. Main issue is to identify clusters of patients analyzing a set of meta-features of each patient in terms of clinical descriptors, performance metrics of a machine learning model for seizure detection, and data complexity measures. The investigation of complexity measures represents a novelty in such a medical field, allowing to compare patients and to support automated seizure detection methods. The proposed methodology is validated using the well-known Epileptic Seizure EEG Database from the Epilepsy Center of the University Hospital of Freiburg and demonstrates promising results in transferring detection models to new cases.

Soon, water scarcity is expected to worsen due to several factors including the population growth and the climate change. To address this, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) mandates an increase in the water use efficiency of agrosystems. In this context, the aim of the study was to provide a novel methodological approach, based on the use of satellite-based classification algorithms (i.e., artificial neural networks, ANN, and the Optical Trapezoid Model, OPTRAM), agro-hydrological modelling (i.e., satellite-based ArcDualKc model versus traditional FAO-56 approach) combined with different sources of agrometeorological data (i.e., ground-based versus ERA5 Land data), for mapping the irrigated crops and determining their irrigation water requirements (IWR) at the irrigation district level. The study was carried out, during the period 2019–20, in an irrigation district, named “Quota 102,50” (Eastern Sicily, Italy) and managed by the local reclamation consortium. The use of ANN and of OPTRAM allowed to obtain an accurate detection of the irrigated crops, with overall accuracy of 82 % and 88 %, respectively during 2019–20. The IWR retrieved with the ArcDualKc model and the standard FAO-56 approach were generally underestimated in comparison to the volumes supplied by the farmers. The best performance resulted when the ArcDualKc model was implemented with ERA5 Land data, with average values of coefficient of determination, residual standard error and slope of 0.99, 975.31 m3 and 0.78, respectively, during 2019–20. The outputs at the district scale compared to the data declared by the reclamation consortium resulted in overestimations in terms of both irrigated areas and IWR, with absolute errors of about 1539 ha and 1431 ha, and of about 9 106 m3 and 12 106 m3, respectively, during 2019–20. Finally, the study provided a useful methodological framework for supporting the water management authorities to better planning and monitoring the irrigation water uses under the current WFD.

Abstract Background Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is widespread in hospitals in many countries, causing severe consequences to patient outcomes, staff work and the system, with an overall increase in costs. Therefore, health managers are constantly looking for new preventive and corrective measures to counter this phenomenon. To do this, however, it is necessary to be able to characterize the problem objectively. For this reason, various indices are used in the literature to assess ED crowding. In this work, we explore the use of two of the most widespread crowding indices in an ED of an Italian national hospital, investigate their relationships and discuss their effectiveness. Methods In this study, two of the most widely used indices in the literature, the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Scale (NEDOCS) and the Emergency Department Working Index (EDWIN), were analysed to characterize overcrowding in the ED of A.O.R.N. “A. Cardarelli” of Naples, which included 1678 clinical cases. The measurement was taken every 15 minutes for a period of 7 days. Results The results showed consistency in the use of EDWIN and NEDOCS indices as measures of overcrowding, especially in severe overcrowding conditions. Indeed, in the examined case study, both EDWIN and NEDOCS showed very low rates of occurrence of severe overcrowding (2–3%). In contrast, regarding differences in the estimation of busy to overcrowded ED rates, the EDWIN index proved to be less sensitive in distinguishing these variations in the occupancy of the ED. Furthermore, within the target week considered in the study, the results show that, according to both EDWIN and NEDOCS, higher overcrowding rates occurred during the middle week rather than during the weekend. Finally, a low degree of correlation between the two indices was found. Conclusions The effectiveness of both EDWIN and NEDOCS in measuring ED crowding and overcrowding was investigated, and the main differences and relationships in the use of the indices are highlighted. While both indices are useful ED performance metrics, they are not always interchangeable, and their combined use could provide more details in understanding ED dynamics and possibly predicting future critical conditions, thus enhancing ED management.

Study region: The study region is represented by seven irrigation districts distributed under different climate and topography conditions in Italy. Study focus: This study explores the reliability and consistency of the global ERA5 single levels and ERA5-Land reanalysis datasets in predicting the main agrometeorological estimates commonly used for crop water requirements calculation. In particular, the reanalysis data was compared, variable-by-variable (e.g., solar radiation, Rs; air temperature, Tair; relative humidity, RH; wind speed, u10; reference evapotranspiration, ET0), with in situ agrometeorological observations obtained from 66 automatic weather stations (2008–2020). In addition, the presence of a climate-dependency on their accuracy was assessed at the different irrigation districts. New hydrological insights for the region: A general good agreement was obtained between observed and reanalysis agrometeorological variables at both daily and seasonal scales. The best performance was obtained for Tair, followed by RH, Rs, and u10 for both reanalysis datasets, especially under temperate climate conditions. These performances were translated into slightly higher accuracy of ET0 estimates by ERA5-Land product, confirming the potential of using reanalysis datasets as an alternative data source for retrieving the ET0 and overcoming the unavailability of observed agrometeorological data.

Background: There is growing evidence of otoneurological involvement of SARS-CoV-2, such as tinnitus and balance disorders and smell and taste disorders, but HL in COVID-19 patients has still been marginally studied. Investigating the role of SARS-CoV-2 as an aetiological factor of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) may offer the opportunity to address treatment strategies to maximize clinical recovery and avoid side effects. Methods and results: For this purpose, we will present case studies of five patients who experienced SSNHL during COVID-19. Patients were selected from COVID-19 positive adult subjects with mild clinical presentation, admitted to the outpatient Ear Nose and Throat Department of Cardarelli Hospital due to the onset of SSNHL during the infection. All underwent a complete audio-vestibular investigation before and after SSNHL treatment protocol. Each patient is described with a detailed analysis. Conclusions: SSNHL could be an occasional symptom of COVID-19, even in mild manifestations of the disease. Our experience leads us to underline the value of promptly recognizing and addressing this and other uncommon symptoms, giving patients the opportunity to receive early treatment.

Abstract Laryngectomized patients showed an unconventional response to SARS‐CoV‐2 viral infection. Here, we describe five different patient cases along with our interpretation of the phenomena and suggestions for their safe management.

This paper presents a Deep Learning (DL) and Image-Processing (IP) pipeline that addresses exposure recovery in challenging lighting conditions for enhancing First Responders’ (FRs) Situational Awareness (SA) during rescue operations. The method aims to improve the quality of images captured by FRs, particularly in overexposed and underexposed environments while providing a response time suitable for rescue scenarios. The paper describes the technical details of the pipeline, including exposure correction, segmentation, and fusion techniques. Our results demonstrate that the pipeline effectively recovers details in challenging lighting conditions, improves object detection, and is efficient in high-stress, fast-paced rescue situations.

The rich blend of theories and experiences that made the history of physics possible still now enlightens the scientific method. We stress the need to learn from this method the force of making its principles explicit, while developing a rich diversity of theories, which are often incompatible. Unity is preserved by common founding principles and their mathematical form, such as the understanding of conservation properties (energy, momentum etc.) in terms of symmetries. When moving from the inert to the living state of matter, new challenges are posed, beginning with biological “heterogenesis”, as “genesis of and from diversity” in a changing space of pertinent observables and parameters: the Darwinian ecosystem. The question that is posed is how we may consistently embed the theories of the inert into biology. By naturalization we mean an analysis of physics as part of the sciences of nature, not as the science governing them all. In particular, the founding symmetry principles of physical theories, often used to “naturalize” (but, actually, to “physicalize”) other sciences, will instead be framed in more general dynamics which deal with fundamental changes of symmetries, as they apply, in our views, in all historical sciences, beginning with biology. This paper will accordingly explore the notion of (non-)conservative extension of theories in a precise mathematical sense. We stress a perspectival epistemology that promotes a dialogue of theories, in search for bridges or even unity, inspired by the method of “unification” at the core of major theoretical inventions in physics. Our main motivation is the need to go beyond the strong dualistic separation of space (or of the more general “phase space”) as a pre-given container of the dynamics of matter, that biased physics from Aristotle to Newton and, in a technically different way, even Einstein.

The study aims to identify the responses of citrus orchards (C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck), grown under typical Mediterranean climatic conditions, to deficit irrigation (DI) regimes applied over more than a decade (2010-2020). In particular, the DI regimes were declined at the study site in terms of sustained deficit irrigation, regulated deficit irrigation, partial drying of the root-zone, with increasing severity of the water deficit, from 25% to 50% of the crop evapotranspiration, using surface and sub-surface micro-irrigation techniques. Long-term monitoring was set up for identifying the main processes acting at the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) level through direct in situ measurements of mass and energy fluxes (i.e., via micrometeorological technique) and the estimation of ETc and transpiration fluxes (i.e., via sap flow method), and the soil-plant-water processes (via geoelectrical techniques). In addition, the main physiological, qualitative, and quantitative parameters were evaluated since the beginning of the experiment. The results of the long-term experiment demonstrated the great adaptability of the crop species to sustain even the highest water reductions without substantial alterations of the main marketable productive and qualitative characteristics, evidencing the importance of controlling the SPAC dynamics for correctly applying the water restriction regimes.

The importance of the current role of data-driven science is constantly increasing within Astrophysics, due to the huge amount of multi-wavelength data collected every day, characterized by complex and high-volume information requiring efficient and, as much as possible, automated exploration tools. Furthermore, to accomplish main and legacy science objectives of future or incoming large and deep survey projects, such as James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), James Webb Space Telescope (LSST), and Euclid, a crucial role is played by an accurate estimation of photometric redshifts, whose knowledge would permit the detection and analysis of extended and peculiar sources by disentangling low-z from high-z sources and would contribute to solve the modern cosmological discrepancies. The recent photometric redshift data challenges, organized within several survey projects, like LSST and Euclid, pushed the exploitation of the observed multi-wavelength and multi-dimensional data or ad hoc simulated data to improve and optimize the photometric redshifts prediction and statistical characterization based on both Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) template fitting and machine learning methodologies. They also provided a new impetus in the investigation of hybrid and deep learning techniques, aimed at conjugating the positive peculiarities of different methodologies, thus optimizing the estimation accuracy and maximizing the photometric range coverage, which are particularly important in the high-z regime, where the spectroscopic ground truth is poorly available. In such a context, we summarize what was learned and proposed in more than a decade of research.

Dear Editor, Teleconsulting - defined as real-time consultation between doctors by exploiting video conferencing technology over the Internet network - is exponentially being implemented through the western world lastly triggered by COVID-19 pandemic...

Major adverse cardiac events, defined as death or myocardial infarction, are common causes of perioperative mortality and major morbidity in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Reduction of perioperative cardiovascular risk in relation to non-cardiac surgery requires a stepwise patient evaluation that integrates clinical risk factors, functional status and the estimated stress of the planned surgical procedure. Major guidelines on preoperative cardiovascular risk assessment recommend to establish, firstly, the risk of surgery per se (low, moderate, high) and the related timing (elective vs. urgent/emergent), evaluate the presence of unstable cardiac conditions or a recent coronary revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting), assess the functional capacity of the patient (usually expressed in metabolic equivalents), determine the value of non-invasive and/or invasive cardiovascular testing and then combine these data in estimating perioperative risk for major cardiac adverse events using validated scores (Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) or National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)). This stepwise approach has the potential to guide clinicians in determining which patients could benefit from cardiovascular therapy and/or coronary artery revascularization before non-cardiac surgery towards decreasing the incidence of perioperative morbidity and mortality. Finally, it should be highlighted that there is a need to implement specific strategies in the 2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 infection during the preoperative risk assessment process.

Background and aim: Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) used in multiple sclerosis (MS) have distinct safety profiles. In this paper, we report preliminary results of an on-going pharmacovigilance project (the FASM study). Results: Neurologists working at involved multiple sclerosis centers collected 272 Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs). Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) mainly occurred in adult patients and in a higher percentage of women compared to men. No difference was found in ADRs distribution by seriousness. The outcome was reported as favorable in 61% of ICSRs. Out of 272 ICSRs, almost 53% reported dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod and IFN beta 1a as suspected. These medications were commonly associated to the occurrence of ADRs related hematological, gastrointestinal, general, infective or cancer disorders. The median time to event (days) was 177 for dimethyl fumarate, 1058 for fingolimod and 413 for IFN beta 1a. The median time to event for the remaining suspected drugs was 226. Conclusion: We believe that our results, together with those that will be presented at the end of the study, may bring new knowledge concerning the safety profile of DMTs and their proper use. This will provide the opportunity to draw new recommendations both for neurologists and patients.

Nucleophosmin (NPM1) gene mutations rarely occur in non-acute myeloid neoplasms (MNs) with NPM1 mutations in around 2% of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) cases, mainly belonging to MDS with excess of blasts, and 3% of myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MDS/MPN) cases, prevalently classified as chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. These uncommon malignancies are associated with an aggressive clinical course, relatively rapid progression to overt acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and poor survival outcomes, raising controversies on their classification as distinct clinico-pathologic entities. Furthermore, fit patients with NPM1-mutated MNs with NPM1-mutated MNs with blast count NPM1-mutated AML cases frequently present dysplastic features and multilineage bone marrow cells showing abnormal cytoplasmic NPM1 protein delocalization by immunohistochemical staining, therefore belonging to NPM1-mutated clone regardless of blast morphology. Further prospective studies are warranted to definitely assess whether NPM1 mutations may become sufficient to diagnose AML, irrespective of blast percentage.

The article concerns the building of a NetLogo agent-based model to simulate several scenarios regarding the digital school. This analysis tool is based on a systemic vision of the school and is intended to help digital trainers and stakeholders to improve the digitalization process. L’animatore digitale a scuola. Modello di analisi con simulazione ad agenti in NetLogo L’articolo presenta un modello ad agenti in ambiente NetLogo che permette la simulazione di diversi scenari del processo di digitalizzazione scolastica. L’obiettivo è offrire all’animatore digitale e agli stakeholder uno strumento di analisi basato su una visione sistemica della scuola.

This short text summarizes the work in biology proposed in our book, Perspectives on Organisms, where we analyse the unity proper to organisms by looking at it from different viewpoints. We discuss the theoretical roles of biological time, complexity, theoretical symmetries, singularities and critical transitions. We explicitly borrow from the conclusions in some key chapters and introduce them by a reflection on "incompleteness", also proposed in the book. We consider that incompleteness is a fundamental notion to understand the way in which we construct knowledge. Then we will introduce an approach to biological dynamics where randomness is central to the theoretical determination: randomness does not oppose biological stability but contributes to it by variability, adaptation, and diversity. Then, evolutionary and ontogenetic trajectories are continual changes of coherence structures involving symmetry changes within an ever-changing global stability.

The intellectual act of imposing borders to contain and delimit objects has been a constituent factor in physics since its origins, and is also fundamental for philosophical reflection. However, the characteristics of the conceptual universe thus constructed (tendency towards the ideal limit, invariance in variation, a conception of matter as residue, etc.) seem inadequate in biology. The essential characteristic of the living thing is, in fact, that of having a history: that is, of being the concrete trace of a memory. Making an epistemology of the living thing (and not of the inert) means identifying new categories which, being radically antithetical to disembodied notions like that of program and information, take account of the unpredictability and creativity which time introduces. This essay aims to bring some of these fundamental categories into focus.

Germ cell tumours are the most common malignancy among young men; cryptorchidism is a possible risk factor for the development of testicular cancer. Psycho-oncology studies indicate that diagnostic delay can often be explained by different social conditions and that symptoms worsened under lack of appropriate treatment can lead to an urgent admission to the hospital. Nevertheless, germ cell tumours are considered curable malignancies even in advanced stages since the introduction of a chemotherapy regimen based on bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin. Cell lines derived from germ cell tumours are sensitive to cisplatin-based treatment more than other solid cancers, which is reflected in the good clinical response. We report an unusual manifestation of malignancy in an adult man presenting with a metastatic seminoma of the left testicle. The large ulcerate and necrotic mass suggested a secondary infection from a tumour site. The patient reported surgical orchiopexy for left cryptorchidism in his childhood. Despite worsening of physical features, he had not sought help at the hospital for social reasons. The patient achieved complete clinical remission after receiving standard chemotherapy, and a good objective response of the primitive mass was clearly visible. Complete response was persistent at the 30-month clinical follow-up. The chemotherapy administration was later complicated by acute haemorrage in the site of the primitive tumour that needed urgent surgical management; in addition to this, the artificial graft material was rejected and the arterial prosthesis had to be removed. This case report can be considered for epidemiologic contribute, for clinical relevance despite diagnostic delay and for psycho-oncology studies.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a compound semiconductor, which is considered as a possible alternative to silicon for particles and photons detection. Its characteristics make it very promising for the next generation of nuclear and particle physics experiments at high beam luminosity. Silicon Carbide detectors for Intense Luminosity Investigations and Applications (SiCILIA) is a project starting as a collaboration between the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) and IMM-CNR, aiming at the realization of innovative detection systems based on SiC. In this paper, we discuss the main features of silicon carbide as a material and its potential application in the field of particles and photons detectors, the project structure and the strategies used for the prototype realization, and the first results concerning prototype production and their performance.

Massimo Piattelli Palmarini, Le scienze cognitive classiche: un panorama di Daniela Mario Arthur L. Costa, Bena Kallick, Habits of Mind: A developmental series, Association Supervision for Curriculum Development di Daniele Morselli Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Uta Frith, The Learning Brain: Lessons for Education di Giuseppe Longo Xenia Chryssochoou, Cultural diversity. Its social psychology di Francesca Lazzari Carl Bereiter, Education and mind in the knowledge age di Francesco Caviglia Isabel Beck, Margareth McKeown, Improving Comprehension with Questioning the Author: A Fresh and Expanded View of a Powerful Approach di Irith Davidzon

The three major jobs of the reading brain are recognizing patterns, planning strategy, and feeling (Wolf, 2007). When we read fiction, we expect to experience emotion (Johnson Laird, Oatley, 2008), and literature is probably the first home of the emotional intelligences (Mayer, Salovey, 1997). According to these assumptions, this paper examines the connection between cognitive neurosciences and reading literature to verify whether the literary text can be used in the field of emotional education. The brain-based interaction between text and reader as an “immersed experiencer” (Zwaan, 2004), and therefore also the processes of comprehension will be synthetically analyzed in the light of recent neuroimaging research. How emotion, metaphor, and mental imagery are connected within the process of interpretation will be particularly investigated. The cognitive approach of embodiment and the emotional state of empathy are also involved in the analysis, because their neurocognitive role allows us to explain why the literary text can become a useful tool to enhance students’ emotional competence.

Paolo Torresan, Intelligenze e didattica delle lingue di Mario Polito; Renate N. Caine, Geoffrey Caine, Carol L. McClintic, Karl J. Klimek, Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action: The Fieldbook for Making Connections, Teaching, and the Human Brain di Giuseppe Longo; Claude Dubar, La socialisation. Construction des identités sociales et professionelles di Elena Zambianchi; Marc Jeannerod, Motor Cognition. What actions tell the self di Patrizia Tortella; Massimo Baldacci, La dimensione emozionale del curricolo. L’educazione affettiva razionale nella scuola di Cristiano Chiusso

Nelle attività formative, la comunicazione nella lingua materna, le competenze sociali e civiche e la consapevolezza ed espressione culturale sono alcune competenze chiave per il lifelong learning. Possono essere collegate strettamente e vantaggiosamente promosse servendosi dell’insegnamento della letteratura. Il presente lavoro evidenzia come e perché queste competenze appartengono al contesto della lettura scolastica di testi letterari, specialmente se tale tipo di insegnamento ha basi di ricerca neuroscientifica e prende in considerazione i correlati neurali dell’empatia implicati nella risposta del lettore alla letteratura.

Several studies in mouse model of invasive aspergillosis (IA) and in healthy donors have shown that different Aspergillus antigens may stimulate different adaptive immune responses. However, the occurrence of Aspergillus-specific T cells have not yet been reported in patients with the disease. In patients with IA, we have investigated during the infection: a) whether and how specific T-cell responses to different Aspergillus antigens occur and develop; b) which antigens elicit the highest frequencies of protective immune responses and, c) whether such protective T cells could be expanded ex-vivo. Forty hematologic patients have been studied, including 22 patients with IA and 18 controls. Specific T cells producing IL-10, IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-17A have been characterized through enzyme linked immunospot and cytokine secretion assays on 88 peripheral blood (PB) samples, by using the following recombinant antigens: GEL1p, CRF1p, PEP1p, SOD1p, α1-3glucan, β1-3glucan, galactomannan. Specific T cells were expanded through short term culture. Aspergillus-specific T cells producing non-protective interleukin-10 (IL-10) and protective interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) have been detected to all the antigens only in IA patients. Lower numbers of specific T cells producing IL-4 and IL-17A have also been shown. Protective T cells targeted predominantly Aspergillus cell wall antigens, tended to increase during the IA course and to be associated with a better clinical outcome. Aspergillus-specific T cells could be successfully generated from the PB of 8 out of 8 patients with IA and included cytotoxic subsets able to lyse Aspergillus hyphae. Aspergillus specific T-cell responses contribute to the clearance of the pathogen in immunosuppressed patients with IA and Aspergillus cell wall antigens are those mainly targeted by protective immune responses. Cytotoxic specific T cells can be expanded from immunosuppressed patients even during the infection by using the above mentioned antigens. These findings may be exploited for immunotherapeutic purposes in patients with IA.

Imatinib mesylate is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used as first line treatment in chronic myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumorpatients. Although several in vitro and animal studies demonstrated that imatinib affects immune response, few immune alterations are described in humans. We retrospectively studied hematologic and immunological parameters in 72 chronic myeloid leukemia and 15 gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients treated with imatinib at standard dosage and in 20 chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated before the introduction of imatinib in clinical practice. Both chronic myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients developed a significant reduction of gammaglobulin and immunoglobulin serum levels. No significant hypogammaglobulinemia was observed in chronic myeloid leukemia patients in the pre-imatinib era. These data demonstrate that imatinib treatment induces hypogammaglobulinemia that can reach a severe entity in 10% of cases, both in chronic myeloid leukemia and in gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate immune humoral alterations and to define the real incidence of infectious events, including viral reactivations.